Govt to provide 5 kg grains, 1 kg pulses for free over next 3 months: Finance Minister
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced distribution of 5 kg of wheat or rice and one kg of preferred pulses free-of-cost every month over the next three months to 80 crore poor across the country to deal with the economic impact of the lockdown amid coronavirus outbreak.
As many of 20.5 crore women Jan Dhan Account holders will get Rs 500 per month for next three months to run their households. For poor senior citizens, widow and disabled will get an ex-gratia of Rs 1,000.
Also, the daily wage under MNREGA has been increased to Rs 202 a day from Rs 182 to benefit 5 crore workers.
The minister said the government will front-load Rs 2,000 payment to farmers in the first week of April under the existing PM Kishan Yojana to benefit 8.69 crore farmers.
Also, the beneficiaries of Ujjwala LPG scheme will get free cooking gas for the next three months, she said. This forms part of the Rs 1.70 lakh crore Gramin Kalyan Package.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
“Surprise discovery: 'Male' hippo at Japan zoo revealed as female after 7 years"
Osaka: A startling revelation has emerged from Osaka Tennoji Zoo in Japan as a hippopotamus, known as Gen-chan for the past seven years, has been confirmed to be female after a DNA test. Initially believed to be male, Gen-chan's true sex came to light when zookeepers observed behaviours inconsistent with typical male hippo conduct.
Gen-chan, now 12 years old, arrived at the zoo from Mexico in 2017. Despite official documents stating that she was male, suspicions arose as she failed to exhibit standard male hippo behaviours as she matured. The absence of courtship calls to female hippos and the lack of territorial marking behaviours prompted zookeepers to investigate further.
The Osaka Tennoji Zoo addressed the revelation on their website, acknowledging the error and reaffirming their commitment to providing a comfortable environment for Gen-chan. While Gen-chan's sex has been clarified, the zoo has decided not to change her name.
