Punjab Government has released funds amounting to Rs690.96 crore under various welfare schemes, including pension payments, compensation to farmers against crop damage, retirement benefits and medical reimbursement.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had directed all the departments to create resources for welfare schemes through prudent fiscal management so that the beneficiaries, constituting the most deprived sections of the society, do not face any more hardships, said an official spokesperson.
"The Chief Minister was of the view that these people had suffered enough for 10 years under the SAD-BJP rule, and it was the Congress government’s responsibility to provide them some succor," he said.
While giving details of the disbursements, the spokesman said the retirement benefits was cleared till September 30, 2017, with the release of Rs218.84 crore, while Rs23.19 crore was released towards reimbursement of medical bills September 30, 2017.
Among the other amounts released were Rs100 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and Rs50 crore under the National Health Mission (NHM), said the spokesperson, adding that financial assistance to the tune of Rs115 crore was released for disbursement of pensions under various social security schemes for February 2018.
Under the Ashirwad Scheme, the sum release stands at Rs25 crore, with another Rs42.86 crore going towards compensation to farmers against crop damaged as a result of various factors.
The spokesperson further disclosed that Rs30.26 crore had gone towards water supply and sanitation, while Rs8 crore was disbursed for the Border Area Compensation.
The State Government has also given Rs7 crore as grant-in-aid to the Punjabi University, and a sum of Rs3.81 crore had been released under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Further, the government had also released Rs60 crore under JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), besides releasing Rs7 crore for discretionary grants of Ministers, said he.
The Chief Minister had issued strict directives to all the departments to ensure that the financial crunch faced by the government does not scuttle the implementation of the welfare schemes in anyway, he added.