Chennai: A day after she announced financial packages for the industry, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said the second tranche of eco stimulus package to benefit migrant workers, street vendors, small farmers.
These are part of the Rs 20 lakh crore package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
Speaking to the media in New Delhi, she said three crore marginal farmers have already availed Rs four lakh crore of loans on concessional rates. She also said 63 lakh loans of Rs 86,600 crore has been approved in agriculture between 1 March and 30 April.
She said interest subvention and prompt repayment incentive on crop loans due from 1 March has been extended to 31 May. She said the Union government has permitted State governments to utilise SDRF for setting up shelter for migrants and providing them food and water etc.
“We are conscious, we are attending to the migrants and giving them in various different ways,’ she said. ‘We have already generated 14.62 crore person-days of work till 13 May with Rs 10,000 crore spend, which is 40-50% more persons enrolled as compared to last May,” she said.
Nirmala, who was accompanied by Union Finance Minister of State Anurag Thakur, stated that migrant workers going back to their States are being actively enrolled.
She said 12,000 self-help groups (SHGs) have produced more than 3 crore masks and 1.2 lakh litres of sanitizers during COVID-19 period. 7,200 new SHGs for urban poor have been formed during the last two months, Nirmala added.
On reform in works, she said the government is for universal right to minimum wages; and regional disparity in minimum wages are to be bridged by national floor wage. She said Rs 6,700 crore is to be given to States to procure agricultural produce.