Lockdown distress: Karnataka govt announces Rs 1,610 crore package
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Wednesday announced a Rs 1,610 crore relief package for the benefit of those in distress due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown.
The measures announced by the Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa would bring relief to farmers, flower-growers, washermen, auto rickshaw and taxi drivers, MSMEs, large industries, weavers, building workers and barbers.
The government also announced a 11 per cent excise duty hike, which is in addition to the six per cent announced in the budget.
People from all sections of society are facing financial difficulties due to lockdown of more than one and a half months, the Chief Minister noted.
Flower growers have destroyed their flowers following lack of demand for their produce due to the lockdown. It is estimated that farmers cultivated flowers in about 11,687 hectares.
Realising the problems facing flower growers, the government announced a compensation of Rs 25,000 per hectare limited to a maximum extent of one hectare for the crop loss.
Farmers who have grown vegetables and fruits were not able to market their produce, and the government has decided to announce a relief package for them.
Covid-19 has also affected service professionals such as barbers and washermen (dhobis) both in urban and rural areas, and it has been decided to provide a one time compensation of Rs 5,000 each to benefit about 60,000 washermen and about 2,30,000 barbers.
A decision has also been taken to help about 7,75,000 Auto & Taxi drivers by providing one time compensation of Rs 5,000 each.
MSMEs have also suffered huge production losses due to the lockdown. It takes some time for them to revive, Yediyurappa said. The monthly fixed charges of electricity bills of MSMEs will be waived for two months.
Payment of fixed charges in the electricity bills of the large industries would be deferred without penalty and interest for a period of two months.
The Chief Minister also announced certain benefits for electricity consumers of all categories.
The state government has already announced Rs 109 crore weavers loan Waiver scheme, of which Rs 29 crore has been released during 2019-20.
Balance amount of Rs 80.00 crore would be released immediately. This would help weavers get fresh loans to continue their occupation.
The Chief Minister also announced a new scheme, Weaver Samman Yojana (Nekarara Sammana yojane) for the benefit of the suffering weavers.
Under this scheme, the government would deposit Rs 2,000 directly into the bank account of the handloom weaver through DBT. This will benefit about 54,000 handloom weavers in the state. There are 15.80 lakh registered building workers in the state.
The government has already transferred Rs 2,000 to the bank account of 11.80 lakh building workers through DBT.
Action has already been initiated to transfer Rs 2,000 to the accounts of the remaining four lakh construction workers soon after verifying beneficiaries bank account details.
In addition to this, the government has decided to transfer additional amount of Rs 3,000 to building workers through DBT.
The above compensation would be provided with an estimated cost of Rs 1,610.00 crore, which would help those who are in distress due to lockdown , the Chief Minister added.
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Prez, PM pay tributes to Vajpayee at his memorial 'Sadaiv Atal'
New Delhi (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the dignitaries who attended a prayer ceremony at 'Sadaiv Atal', the memorial of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Thursday to pay tributes to him on his 101st birth anniversary.
Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Ministers J P Nadda, Nirmala Sitharaman, NDA ally JD-U leader and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, several other ministers, MPs, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and BJP working president Nitin Nabin were among those who attended the event.
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In a message, the prime minister said Vajpayee's personality, work and leadership will continue to be a guiding light for the all-around development of the nation. He said Vajpayee dedicated his entire life to good governance and nation-building.
"He will always be remembered as a brilliant orator as well as a spirited poet. Vajpayee's personality, work and leadership will continue to be a guiding light for the all-around development of the nation," PM Modi said.
Vajpayee was born on this day in Gwalior in 1924 and passed away in New Delhi on August 16, 2018. The government observes his birth anniversary as Good Governance Day.
The BJP marked the day by its leaders commemorating Vajpayee's legacy in nationwide events. Its chief ministers, Union ministers and MPs, besides organisational leaders, are part of these programmes held across the country.
Vajpayee, India's 13th prime minister, served the country for three terms between 1996 and 2004.
He is known for his valuable contribution to India's economic growth. The 'Operation Vijay', commonly known as the Kargil War, was fought against Pakistan and won during his tenure as prime minister. He made India a nuclear weapons power.
He had a distinguished four-decade parliamentary career, was elected nine times to the Lok Sabha and twice to the Rajya Sabha.
Rising from humble beginnings in Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) to the post of prime minister, he received the Padma Vibhushan in 1992 for his selfless dedication to the nation and was conferred with Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 2015.
Vajpayee championed democratic ideals, women's empowerment, and social equality.
As prime minister, he prioritised good governance and economic development, building national highways, rural roads, expanding telecom, and improving infrastructure.
