One Nation One Ration Card, says Nirmala Sitharaman on day 2 of the breakdown of the economic package: highlights

New Delhi:

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the second tranche of the Center’s Rs 20 lakh crore fiscal stimulus, focused exclusively on migrant workers, street vendors and small farmers. This included additional ration, a universal ration card that would work across the country, and an affordable rental housing scheme. “There is legitimate concern about migrants returning to their home states. We are serving migrants, we are not boasting,” the minister said amid growing criticism from the opposition that the Center ignores the plight of workers migrants.

Private sector employees will receive a raise to take home, and small and medium-sized businesses will be offered Rs 3 lakh crore on unsecured bank loans, Nirmala Sitharaman, which details parts of the government Rs 20 lakh crore COVID, announced on Wednesday. -19 economic relief plan.

These are the highlights of Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcements on Day 2:

• Today’s announcements for small merchants, small farmers, freelancers, migrant workers, street vendors, tribes.
• For farmers, today we will talk about 2 provisions. There is more, but that will happen in the coming days. Today is only 2. So please do not think that there are only two for farmers, there are more.
• Three crore marginal farmers have already benefited from 4 lakh crores. They were also given a 3-month moratorium for not paying EMI. In the past 2 months, 25 lakh new kisan cards have been issued. This is just to let you know that we have already reached out to marginal farmers.
• Today’s nine announcements are as follows:

1. Free Food Grains: What is currently will continue. Furthermore, even for those who are not cardholders they can also take advantage of this offer of 5 kg (rice), 5 kg (wheat) / 5 kg (chana) per family. Approximately 8 million people will benefit and the government has allocated Rs 3.5 billion. This will be enacted by state governments and will be valid for the next 3 months.
2. There will be a One Nation One ration card throughout the country. Anyone, regardless of where they are, whatever state or UT they are in, can benefit. The One Nation One Ration card has already been deployed 83% so far, and it will be 100% by March 2021. This will guarantee people and their legitimate ration wherever they are in the country.
3. Affordable Rentals: Under Prime Minister Awas Yojana, a plan for the rental housing plan will be initiated, where institutions and associations will be asked to make affordable rental housing at their facilities. In addition, the government will make affordable housing for the urban poor, workers and migrants in all states and UT. This will be built on the PPP basis. The government is working to guarantee a roof over everyone’s head.
4. Sishu loans under MUDRA – for the smallest borrowers. Loans of up to Rs 50,000 or less: All borrowers will have an interest subversion rate of 2%. This will benefit approximately 3 million people who benefit from the MUDRA shishu category.
5. Special Rs 5,000 crore line of credit benefit for street vendors. The scheme will launch in 1 month. This will benefit 50 lakh street vendors in all states and UT.
6. Housing for the middle-income group: We want to offer to the middle-income group, the lowest strata of the middle class, between 6 lakh and 18 lakh only, a plan for subsidized housing. We are now offering a one-year extension of the scheme from March 2020 to March 2021. The scheme would be valued at Rs 70 billion rupees. This had already benefited 3.3 lakh families. The 1-year extension will benefit an additional 2.5 lakh middle-income families and generate sudden demand in the housing sector.
7. For Tribals: a crore fund of Rs 600 to boost the work of the tribal sector.
8. For small and marginal farmers, Rs 30 million additional to Rs 90 billion under NABARD. This will especially help in the Rabi season. This will benefit 3 crore farmers.
9. Kisan credit card: Almost 2 lakh crore of concession credit on concessional terms for 2.5 million farmers who do not have a kisan credit card, will benefit. This will also include fishermen and animal husbandry workers and farmers.

• In 2014, in his first speech, Prime Minister Modi emphasized the need to help the poor. We have to focus on helping the poor from the poorest. The Modi government has helped the poor. More than 22 million crore have insurance. The Prime Minister is always concerned with the poor, the poorest; We help MSMEs that employ almost 12 million people, says Minister of State Anurag Thakur.
• Liquidity support for farmers and the rural economy has been occurring for the past 2 months, that is, during the coronavirus crisis. 63 lakh loans of Rs 86 billion have been approved in the agricultural area. NABARD has refinanced Rs 29.5 billion in March alone to rural banks in March alone, supporting Rs 4.2 billion for rural infrastructure.
• In the past two months, during the COVID-19 period, what we have done for the urban poor: the Center has delivered Rs 11,000 crore. It was sent from the Center to the states for temporary bombers. In foster homes in urban areas, they are being given all 3 meals. Today I say all this because we want to inform everyone that our government cares about migrants.
• 12,000 self-help groups across India have produced more than 3 crore masks, 1,20,000 liters of hand sanitizer.
• There is a legitimate concern about migrants returning to their home states. We had already increased daily compensation from Rs 182 to Rs 202, this announcement was made earlier. Migrant workers who go from here and enroll in MGNREGA will receive compensation. States and UTs have been informed about this.
• 2.3 million migrants offered work in more than 1 lakh panchayats. Minimum wages applicable only to 30% of workers. Regional disparity in the minimum wage: we are trying to overcome this. We are talking to the states about a concept of the national minimum wage. Benefits for interstate worker migration: We want to have a definition for this. the
  Portability of social benefits for migrants is also being discussed in parliament. We want to ensure ESIC coverage.
• 44 labor laws have been reduced to four codes.
• At yesterday’s press conference, I just want to clarify that the 12% + 12% EPF will both be taken over by the Indian government for the PSUs. This will also span the next 3 months.
• Yes, people are suffering. Yes, they (migrants) are walking back to their homes. PM Modi said to stay where you are. But emotions are what they are. I thank the media for being a catalyst in the dissemination of information.
• The ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ is a digitized card linked to Aadhaar, on which the Aadhaar number of all family members is added. Therefore, if a migrant worker is in a city and his family is another part of the country, they can decide and divide the ration how they feel better and use it in both places according to the allowance per family.