Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana Highlights
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana Highlights
Highlights
Insurance cover of ` 50 Lakh per health worker fighting COVID-19
to be provided under Insurance Scheme.
80 crore poor people to get 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred
pulses for free every month for the next three months. (April, May June, 2020)
20 crore women Jan Dhan account holders to get ` 500 per month for
next three months. (April, May June, 2020)
Increase in MNREGA wage to ` 202 a day from ` 182 to benefit 13·62
crore families. An ex-gratia of ` 1,000 to 3 crore
poor senior citizens, poor widows and poor disabled.
Government to front-load ` 2,000 paid to farmers in first week of
April 2020 under existing PM Kisan Yojana to benefit 8·7 crore farmers.
Central Government has given orders to State Governments to use
Building and Construction Workers Welfare Fund to provide relief to
Construction Workers.
I. PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana
The Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. Niramla Sitha-
ramanon on March 26, 2020 announced ` 1·70 Lakh Crore relief
package under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana for the poor to
help them fight the battle against Covid-19 Pandemic. These measures
were intended at reaching out to the poorest of the poor, with food and
money in hands, so that they do not face difficulties in buying essential
supplies and meeting essential needs.” The following are the compo-
nents of the Pradhan Mantri Garib
Kalyan Package :PRADHAN MANTRI GARIB KALYAN PACKAGE
I. Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19 in Government
Hospitals and Health Care Centres Safai karamcharis, ward-boys, nurses, ASHA workers, paramedics, technicians, doctors and specialists and other health
workers would be covered by a Special Insurance Scheme.
Any health professional, who while treating Covid-19 patients,
meets with some accident, then he/she would be compensated
with an amount of ` 50 lakhunder the scheme.
All government health centres, wellness centres and hospitals of
Centre as well as States would be covered under this scheme–
Approximately 22 lakh health workers would be provided
insurance cover to fight this pandemic.
II. PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana
Government of India would not allow anybody, especially any
poor family, to suffer on account of non-availability of foodgrains
due to disruption in the next three months. (April, May June,
2020) 80 crore individuals, i.e., roughly two-thirds of India’s population
would be covered under this scheme.
Each one of them would be provided double of their current
entitlement over next three months (5 kg Rice per person per
month for three months (April, May & June 2020) in addition to
regular supply and Public distribution system.) This additionality would be free of cost. Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana 67·65 Lakh MT of foodgrains have been lifted by 36 States/UTs for April 2020. Around 16 LMT of foodgrains have been distributed, covering 60·33 crore beneficiaries by 36 States/UTs for April 2020. About 6 LMT of foodgrains have been distributed, covering 12·39 crore beneficiaries by 22 States/ UTs for May 2020.
Pulses
To ensure adequate availability of protein to all the above
mentioned individuals, 1 kg pulses per family, would be pro-
vided according to regional pre- ferences for next three months
(April, May & June 2020. These pulses (mainly gram)
would be provided free of cost by the Government of India.
2·42 LMT of Pulses have also been dispatched to various
states/UTs. Pulses have been distributed so far to 5·21 crore
household beneficiaries out of 19·4 crore such beneficiaries.
III. Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana
Benefit to farmers : The first instalment of ` 2,000
due in 2020-21 was front-loaded and paid in April 2020 itself
under the PM KISAN Yojana. As of May 5, 2020 ` 16,394 crore has
gone towards payment of the first instalment of PM-KISAN.
Under the scheme, 8·19 crore identified beneficiaries got ` 2,000
each directly in their accounts.
IV. Cash Transfers Under PMGarib Kalyan Yojana
Help to Poor : A total of 20·40 crore PM Jan
Dhan Yojana women accountholders were transferred as an
ex-gratia of ` 500 per month for next three months (April, May &
June 2020). ` 10,025 crore was credited to 20·05 crore (98·33%)
women Jan Dhan account holders as first instalment. The
number of women PMJDY accounts holders whose accounts
have been debited by customer induced transaction is 8·72 crore
(44%) adding, ` 2,785 crore was credited to 5·57 crore women Jan
Dhan account holders with second instalment as on May 5, 2020.
Gas cylinders :
Under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana,gas cylinders, free of cost, would
be provided to 8 crore poorfamilies for the nextthree months (April, May & June).
Help to low wage earners in organised sectors :
Wage-earners below ` 15,000 per month in businesses having less
than 100 workers are at risk of losing their employment.
Under this package, government proposes to pay 24 per cent of
their monthly wages into their PF accounts for next threemonths.
This would prevent disruption in their employment. Support for senior citizens
(above 60 years), widows and Divyang jan : There are around 3 crore aged
widows and people in Divyang category who are vulnerable due
to economic disruption caused by COVID-19. Government will give them `
1,000 each to tide over difficulties during next three months (April,
May & June). The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)
disbursed about ` 1,400 crore to about 2·82 crore old age persons,
widows and differently-abled persons. Each beneficiary received an ex-gratia cash of ` 500 under the scheme as the first instalment. Another instalment of ` 500 each will be paid during May 2020.
MNREGA :
Under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, MNREGA wages would be increased by ` 20 with effect from 1 April, 2020. Wage increase under MNREGA will provide an additional ` 2,000 benefit annually to a worker. This will benefit approximately 13·62 crore families. V. Self-Help Groups Women organised through 63 lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs) support 6·85 crore households. Limit of collateral free lending would be increased from ` 10 to ` 20 lakh.
VI. Other Components of PM Garib Kalyan Package
Organised sector : Employees’ Provident Fund Regulations will be amended to
include Pandemic as the reason to allow non-refundable advance of 75 per cent of the amount or three months of the wages, whichever is lower, from their accounts. Families of four crore workers registered under EPF can take benefit of this window. 9·6 lakh members of Employees’Provident Fund Organisation
(EPFO) have taken benefit of online withdrawal of nonrefundable advance from EPFOaccount amounting to 2,985 crore so far. Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Fund :Welfare Fund for Building and Other Construction Workers has been created under a Central Government Act. There are around 3·5 crore registered workers in the Fund. State Governments will be given directions to utilise this fund to provide assistance and support to these workers to protect them against economic disruptions. District Mineral Fund : The State Government will be asked to utilise the funds avail able under District Mineral Fund (DMF) for supplementing and augmenting facilities of medical testing, screening and other requirements in connection with preventing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic as well as treating the patients affected with this pandemic. Direct benefit transfer, i.e., trans- fer that ensures that the amount is directly credited into the account of the beneficiary, eliminates leakage and improves efficiency, has been employed. This has ensured credit to the beneficiary’s account without the need for the beneficiary to physically go to the branch.
