The state government is currently focusing on providing relief and health care to those in need and it would ponder over extending financial aid to vulnerable sections only after the national lockdown is lifted, finance minister and Jharkhand Congress president Rameshwar Oraon said on Saturday.
“As there is national lockdown, the priority of the government at this stage to provide food and health care to those who have been hit due to this crisis. The government has taken several initiatives for it. Once the lockdown is over, the government would brainstorm over providing financial package to vulnerable groups,” said Oraon.
The statement comes in the mid of the 21-day national lockdown to mitigate spread of the contagious Covid-19. With the entire country coming to a standstill, several social groups especially the daily wagers, migrant workers and those employed in the unorganised sectors have been hit the maximum.
The Centre has announced a package of 1.7 lakh crore to be spent under several measures targeted at these vulnerable sections. However, people in the state, including elected representatives, have also been raising such demands from the state government to extend financial help for the vulnerable sections.
CPI (ML) legislator Vinod Singh demanded the state government to provide help in line with schemes announced by other governments.
{{/usCountry}}CPI (ML) legislator Vinod Singh demanded the state government to provide help in line with schemes announced by other governments.
{{/usCountry}}“I urge chief minister Hemant Soren to follow the experiment of Arvind Kejriwal government. They are providing ₹5,000 to auto rickshaw drivers. Lakhs of migrant labourers from Jharkhand are stuck in different states. They do not have money even to eat, return home. If we do not help them, who else would?” said Singh.
Congress coordination committee to look into relief work
Oraon, who is also the state unit president of ruling Congress, said while the government is taking several measures to execute the plans of the government to provide all possible help, committees have been formed to provide feedback about the work on ground.
“Monitoring committees have been formed up to the block level. We are getting feedback and suggestions from several parts of the states. We are taking all measures to provide adequate relief,” said Oraon.
The party has formed a state-level coordination committee which includes Roshan Lal Bhatia, Pradeep Tulasyan, Alok Dubey, Kishore Nath Shahdeo and Rajesh Gupta. State president Rameshwar Oraon chaired a meeting with the committee at the party state headquarters on Saturday.