Government's Relief Measures to combat COVID-19
36 hours into the 21-day lockdown and the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman has already announced a string of welfare measures at a Press Conference today at 1pm. This relief package is solely aimed towards the downtrodden in the country. Mrs. Sitharaman was very clear that this package is worth 1.7 Lakh crore rupees under the Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan Scheme which is introduced to take care of the poor during the lockdown. She highlighted that the measures would be announced in two forms- firstly cash transfers and secondly as food security. Direct Benefit Measures: A much-appreciated measure announced was the introduction of an insurance cover for all the doctors and front-liners who are risking their lives and treating the patients during this pandemic. The amount announced was a whopping 50 lakh rupees per person. Food Related Measures: Under Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan Scheme roughly about 80 crore people will be entitled to get 5kg of rice/wheat giv...