Lockdown in Tamil Nadu: Registered members of 14 welfare boards to get Covid-19 financial aid

Shanmughasundaram J | TNN | Apr 21, 2020, 14:58 IST

(Representative image)

CHENNAI: More than 8.60 lakh registered members of 14 welfare boards for people in unorganised sectors would benefit from the Tamil Nadu government’s Covid-19 financial aid programme.
The government, following proposals from the respective welfare boards, had granted permission to sanction Rs 86.10 crore from the state disaster relief fund to disburse the aid to the registered members through the respective welfare boards, additional chief secretary of revenue and disaster management department Atulya Misra said in a government order.
The beneficiaries include fishermen, workers in firecracker units, small traders, tribals, scavengers, cine workers, transgender people, ulemas and employees of welfare boards.
“The ex-gratia of Rs 1,000 should be distributed from the registered members by the respective board with available funds. Boards having nil or insufficient funds can get the money from the state disaster response fund,” Misra said in the order.
These boards are excluded from 17 welfare boards of unorganised labourers that come under the labour department.