Assam cabinet to give Rs 1 lakh to kins of each poor Covid victim

The cabinet at Assam Assembly yesterday decided that the government will release a one-time grant of 1 lakh rupees each to the closest relatives of poor people who died due to Covid-19 and were not government employees or did not receive a government pension.

The grant will be awarded under the Prarthana scheme. Under this scheme there are around 6,000 beneficiaries (closest relatives) till now. The amount will be delivered to the beneficiaries on Gandhi jayanti. This was stated by cabinet minister Pijush Hazarika.

The grant will be awarded under the Prarthana scheme. Under this scheme there are around 6,000 beneficiaries (closest relatives) till now. The amount will be delivered to the beneficiaries on Gandhi jayanti.

Two other plans by the state government, one for children orphaned due to Covid and the other for women who have lost their husbands to the pandemic, are already in place. Each child, who has lost both parents, has been given a certificate of fixed deposit of the principal amount of Rs 7,81,200, a check for Rs 3,500 as the first monthly aid that will continue until they reach the age of 24. Upon reaching the age of 24, the principal amount deposited as a fixed deposit against each beneficiary would be credited to their bank accounts.

For children under the age of 10 and adolescent girls without a guardian, the state government is taking steps to house those children in child care institutions and provide funds for their maintenance, including educational spending under the plan. Women who have lost their husbands have received Rs 2.5 lakh as sole support from the CM relief fund and will also be entitled to the benefits of the Arunodoi plan along with a monthly widow's pension under the current Universal widow's pension Indira Miri Scheme.