Lok Sabha Question No. 1332 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-06
Subject: Impact of Corona on Middle and Lower Class
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Navneet Ravi Rana

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1332

TO BE ANSWERED ON 6.12.2021

## IMPACT OF CORONA ON MIDDLE AND LOWER CLASS

1332. SHRIMATI NAVNEET RAVI RANA: Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state: (a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  the  middle  and  lower  middle  class  have  been adversely affected due to the complete lockdown effected in the wake of the first and second wave of COVID-19 leading to a loss of life and livelihood both; inhabited by lower class and tribal people; and

- (b) if so, whether the Government has taken or proposes to take special steps for extending economic assistance to the crises ridden middle and lower middle class people, particularly in respect of Amravati Parliamentary constituency which is malnourished and predominantly (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY)

(a)  to  (c)  In  order  to  mitigate  the  adverse  impact  on  lives  and  livelihoods  of  the  people including  middle  and  lower  middle  class  during  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  Government has taken several steps. The interventions are aimed to cover the entire population including the vulnerable  sections  and  are  not  region/constituency  specific.  Details  of  some  of  the  key initiatives are given in Annexure I.

## Statement referred to in reply to part (a) to (c) of LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1332 for answer on 06.12.2021

## Annexure 1: Details of some of the key initiatives

(i) PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana: Additional allocation of food grain @ 5 kg per person per month  free  of  cost  was  provided  to  all  beneficiaries  covered  under  the  targeted  public distribution  system  including  those  covered  under  Direct  Benefit  Transfer  (DBT).  Further, Pulses according to regional preferences @ 1 kg per family were provided for three months, free of cost. The scheme was extended till November, 2020. The scheme of free foodgrains was  reintroduced  during  the  current  financial  year  for  the  period  May  2021  to  November, 2021 and has been extended upto March 2022.

(ii) Benefit  to  farmers: Government  has  implemented  various  measures  to  boost  rural spending,  employment  generation  and  social  security  which  includes  the  cash  transfer scheme-  Pradhan  Mantri  Kisan  Samman  Nidhi  (PM-KISAN)  which  provides  an  income support of Rs.6000 per year to farmers. The first installment of Rs 2,000 due in 2020-21 was front-loaded and paid in April 2020 itself under the PM KISAN Yojana, covering about 8.7 crore  farmers.  As  on  30  November  2021,  11.61  crore  farmers  across  the  country  have received at least one instalment under PM-KISAN.

## (iii) Cash transfers:

- a.  An ex-gratia of Rs. 500 per month for three months to a total of 20.40 crores (approx.) Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana women account-holders was provided.
- b.  Free of cost LPG cylinders to 8.8 crore beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) provided as on 30 November 2021.
- c.  Wage-earners, earning below Rs 15,000 per month, in businesses having less than 100 workers, were provided Twenty-four (24) percent of the monthly wages into their Public Fund accounts, for three months. The scheme was extended for another three months till August 2020.
- d.  An amount of Rs.1000 to around 3 crore aged widows and people in Divyang category.

(iv) MGNREGA wages increased by Rs.20 with effect from 1 April, 2020.

- (v) Other measures:
-  Under  the  'Aatma  Nirbhar  Bharat  Abhiyan',  an  additional  Rs.  40,000  crore  has  been allocated for MGNREGS to help generate nearly 300 crore person-days to address the need for  more  work,  for  the  returning  migrant  workers  as  well  as  to  take  care  of  the  monsoon season.
-  Under Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan, a massive rural public works scheme launched on 20 June 2020 to empower and provide livelihood opportunities to the returnee migrant workers and rural  citizens.  Within  125  days,  nearly  25  schemes  of  the government  will  be  brought together under the 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan' and villages across 116 districts in the six states viz. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Odisha joined this programme through the Common Service Centres and Krishi Vigyan Kendras. This

Scheme involved  intensified  and  focused  implementation  of 25  different  types  of  works  to provide  jobs  and  create  infrastructure  in  the  rural  regions  of  the  country  with  a  resource envelope of Rs.50,000 crore.

-  Government  has  taken  various  steps  for  generating  employment  in  the  country  like encouraging  private  sector  of  economy,  fast-tracking  various  projects  involving  substantial investment  and  increasing  public  expenditure  on  schemes  such  as  Pt.  Deen  Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) and Deendayal Antodaya YojanaNational Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY),  Pradhan  Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY),  National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS).
-  Under  Prime  Minister  Garib  Kalyan  Package  (PMGKP)  financial  assistance  was  given  to building  &  construction  workers  (BoCW)  which  largely  included  migrant  workers  from  the funds collected under BOCW's cess.
-  PM SVANidhi was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, on June 01, 2020 for providing affordable Working Capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown. This scheme targets to benefit over 50 lakh Street Vendors.
-  Free  food  grains  supply  to  migrants  for  2  months:  For  the  migrant  labour,  additional  food grain to all the States/UTs at the rate of 5 kg per migrant labourer and 1 kg Chana per family per month for two months i.e. May and June, 2020 free of cost was allocated.
-  Starting with 4 States in August 2019 the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) plan has been  enabled  in  34  States/UTs  by  August  2021    covering  about  75  Crore  beneficiaries (94.3% National Food Security Act population) in the country. This is part of PM's Technology Driven System Reforms. This scheme enabled a migrant worker and their family members to access Public Distribution System (PDS) benefits from any Fair Price Shop in the country. This ensured that the people in transit, especially migrant workers also get the benefit of PDS benefit across the country.
-  Scheme for Affordable Rental Housing Complexes for Migrant Workers and Urban Poor was launched in July 2020.
-  2% Interest Subvention for 12 months for Shishu MUDRA loanees was provided.