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Nirmala Sitharaman said what the government is giving currently will continue and additional food grain will also be given. "In addition, those who don't have ration card, can avail 5 kg of rice or wheat and 5kg chana per family. This will benefit approximately 8 crore people and the government has allocated Rs 3,500 crore for this. This will be enacted by state governments, and will be valid for the next 3 months, she added.
There will be a "One Nation One Ration Card ", Ms Sitharaman said. Anyone, irrespective of where they are, can avail of ration. The One Nation One Ration Card is already rolled out 83% so far, and will be 100% by March 2021," she said. "This will ensure people get their rightful ration whichever corner of the country they may be".
Under the PM Awas Yojana, a scheme will start for rental housing, where institutions and associations will be asked to provide affordable housing on their premises. The government will also make affordable housing for the urban poor, labourers and migrants in all states and UTs, which will be built under public-private partnership.
For people earning between Rs 6 lakh and 18 lakh, a Rs 70,000 crore scheme for subsidised housing is being done. "We are now offering a one year extension of the scheme, from March 2020 to March 2021. This had already benefitted 3.3 lakh families. The extension of 1 year will benefit another 2.5 lakh families and generate a demand in the housing sector," she said.
The minister also announced a Rs 5,000 crore special credit facility benefit for street vendors, which will be launched within a month. Under it, a vendor can avail a loan of Rs 10,000 and it will benefit 50 lakh street vendors. A Rs 600 crore fund for boost to tribal sector work.
Those who need Loans under Rs 50,000, will have a 2 per cent interest subversion rate. This will benefit roughly 3 crore people who are beneficiaries under the MUDRA shishu category. The overall benefit for them will be Rs 1,500 crore.
The Kisan Credit Card, meant for farmers, will also be extended to fishermen and animal husbandry workers. Around 2.5 crore farmers who don't yet have it, will now get it. The allocation for this is Rs 2 lakh crore. For small and marginal farmers, an additional fund of Rs 30,000 crore will be added to the existing 90,000 crore under NABARD. This will help especially in the Rabi season and benefit 3 crore farmers.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a cumulative package of Rs 20 lakh crore to provide relief to various segments amid the financial crisis set off by the coronavirus outbreak. This included Rs 1.7 lakh crore package anounced in March for the poor and Rs 5.6 lakh crore stimulus provided by the Reserve Bank of India tthrough various monetary policies. The rest of the package is being announced in tranches. Yesterday, Ms Sitharman unveiled the first tranche which comprised a Rs 5.94 lakh crore plan for MSMEs and others,
The Centre has been at the receiving end of opposition criticism since PM Modi announced the package. Most opposition parties -- including the Congress, the Left, the DMK and the Trinamool Congress – have questioned why the plight of the migrant labourers, who have been desperate to go home as their income dried up overnight and they found themselves running out of food and shelter, is being repeatedly ignored.
The visuals of long line of migrants trudging on highways, carrying small children and meagre belongings, were some of the most moving images of the lockdown. Even after the Centre started running special trains their situation did not improve much. Many took trucks, tempos and even three wheelers to embark on a journey of hundreds of kilometers. Some never made it home.
