By Nakul Chaturvedi in LUCKNOW: Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government on Monday transferred ₹ 1,000 maintenance allowance in the bank accounts of 1.50 crore migrant and unorganised workers.
The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to provide a ‘maintenance allowance’ to the weaker sections of society. The decision has been taken considering how the economy has been hit due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
A total amount of ₹ 1,500 crores has been transferred, while the remaining workers will get their allowance after necessary formalities are done.
CM Yogi Adityanath said, “3.81 crore migrant workers have been linked to this scheme. Out of which, the accounts of 1.50 crore workers have been checked and the money is being deposited in their accounts in the first phase. Within the next four months, the maintenance allowance will be transferred in the accounts of the remaining workers. The government has also decided to include sanitation workers in the scheme under the ‘Life and livelihood policy’ in view of the Covid pandemic.”
The government will provide a two-month allowance of Rs 1,000 to workers to tide over the financial crisis. There are 5,09,08,745 registered workers in the state out of whom, the number of unorganised workers registered on the e-SHRAM portal are 3,81,60,725.
The total number of workers registered under the BOCW Board are 1,27,48,020. In the first phase, maintenance allowance will be sent to the bank accounts of nearly two crore workers, small shopkeepers, daily wage labourers, rickshaw/ e-rickshaw pullers, porters, barbers, washermen, cobblers and confectioners. A government spokesman said even during the first wave of the pandemic, Yogi Adityanath had helped the deprived sections of the society and the process continued in the second phase.
Targeting the Opposition parties, Yogi Adityanath said, “Under the SP government, the money released for the poor was being used by the SP leaders. The middlemen embezzled the fund meant for the marriage grant to the girls coming from weaker sections of society.
Small shopkeepers, daily wage labourers, rickshaw/e-rickshaw pullers, porters, barbers, washermen, cobblers, and confectioners, etc will reportedly receive the ‘maintenance allowance’ by the Uttar Pradesh government in the first phase.
An Uttar Pradesh government spokesman said, “In the last four and half years, the Yogi government has reached out to the poorest of the poor. Free ration distribution through PDS is a major step in this direction.”