Govt announces welfare measures for families hit by pandemic
Life-long pension for senior citizens who lost bread-earners to COVID, scholarship for children who lost their parents, Rs 1,000 per month for registered construction workers, ponywalas, palkiwalas, pithuwalas for the next two months announced
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday announced several welfare measures for families severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The J&K government has taken several measures to help those who unfortunately lost their loved ones to COVID-19. Senior citizens who have lost only earning member of the family will be provided special pension for life. Children who have lost their parents to COVID-19 pandemic will be provided with special scholarship by the government,” Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said.
According to an official press release, Sinha also observed that the global pandemic has rendered thousands of daily workers jobless.
“The government has decided to provide Rs 1000 per month to all registered construction workers, ponywalas, palkiwalas, pithuwalas for the next two months,” he said.
The government is also adopting other mitigation strategies and all concerned officers have been directed to ensure the supply of ration to all ration card holders on priority.
“Installments of social welfare schemes like old-age pension, Laadli Beti, etc., and PMAY, MGNREGA, and other welfare schemes will be released immediately,” the LG said.
Announcing these measures while chairing a high-level meeting, the LG said that in these challenging times, the Old-Age Homes, Orphanages will be extended all the support from the government including rations, etc.
“Our top-most priority is to defeat this pandemic with people’s participation. I urge all of you to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated. We will soon prevail together over this pandemic,” LG said.
He also observed that an instruction would be passed soon to all DCs to issue death certificates to the people who died due to Covid-19 disease.
The LG said that Rs 55 crore would be released under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to all the Deputy Commissioners, both Divisional Commissioners and J&K Police for emergency use during the current Covid-19 crisis. Rs 2 crore will be released to all 20 Deputy Commissioners, Rs 5 crore to both Divisional Commissioners and Rs 5 crore to J&K Police for emergency use under SDRF.
Earlier, the LG received feedback from the senior officers over the Covid-19 management and other measures in J&K.
While taking the review of Covid scenario in the UT, the LG enquired about the availability of Covid dedicated beds, high flow oxygen supply, installation of oxygen plants in the Union Territory, the press release said.
He was informed that additional oxygen plants are being imported and would be installed soon in the government-run hospitals.
The LG reiterated that the additional oxygen capacity would cater to the requirement of oxygen, besides helping in enhancing the bed capacity with oxygen support.
He directed the concerned officers to enforce strict corona curfew across Jammu & Kashmir and allow only emergency and essential services during the restrictions to break the chain of transmission.
