The Karnataka government on Wednesday announced a package amounting ₹1,111.82 crore to provide compensation to unorganised sectors and farmers who are severely impacted by the month-long lockdown owing to spike in COVID-19 cases.
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Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa chaired a meeting with his Cabinet colleagues and senior officials and announced the package for the benefit of growers, construction workers, vendors, autorickshaw/taxi/cab drivers, artistes and below poverty line (BPL) families.
He said relief of ₹10,000 per hectare would be given to each growers of flowers, fruits and vegetables and this would cost the state exchequer ₹73 crore.
Compensation of ₹3,000 each would be given to autorickshaw drivers, cab/taxi drivers and this would amount to ₹ 65 crore.
The Chief Minister said construction workers would be given ₹3,000 each from the construction welfare board and this would cost ₹494 crore.
Workers in the unroganised sectors such as tailors, saloon workers, mechanics etc a sum of ₹2,000 each would be given and about 3.5 lakh workers would benefit.
Street vendors selling fruits and vegetables would be paid ₹2,000 each and it would cost ₹45 crore to the state exchequer. The poor artistes would be given compensation of ₹3,000, the CM said.
The government has extended the repayment of loans borrowed from agricultural cooperative banks for three months, till July 31, 2021.
The CM the government has been providing 10 kg of rice for each member of BPL family free of cost per month and five kg of rice for APL family members at ₹15 per kg. About six lakh people benefited from supplying food free of cost at Indira Canteens in Bengaluru and other parts of the state, the CM said.
For management of the pandemic, he said each gram panchayat would be given ₹50,000 each from the SDRF and about 6,000 GPs would benefit from this package.
Mr. Yediyurappa declared people supplying LPG cylinders, teachers and electricity linemen as frontline workers.
Despite severe financial constraints the government has announced the package for helping the people hit by the pandemic, the CM said.
The government would take a decision on extending the lockdown on May 23, the Chief Minister said.
The government has imposed lockdown from 9 p.m. on May 10 to 6 a.m. on May 24. Only shops selling essential items are allowed to open from 6 am to 10 am during the lockdown.
