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New Delhi : Announcing the 2nd Tranche of measures, Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on May 14, 2020, at her presser detailed the short and long-term measures for supporting the poor including migrants, farmers, tiny businesses, and street vendors.
Sitharaman stated that Migrant workers need affordable and convenient rental housing in urban areas in addition to social security. There is also a need to create employment opportunities for the poor, including migrant and unorganised workers. Farmers need timely and adequate credit support, she said.
The FM announced the following short and long-term measures for supporting the poor, including migrants, farmers, tiny businesses and street vendors on My 14:
Free foodgrains supply to migrants for 2 months : For the migrant labour, additional foodgrains 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 shall be allocated. Migrant labourers not covered under National Food Security Act or without a ration card in the State/UT in which they are stranded at present will be eligible. States/UTs shall be advised to put a mechanism for targeted distribution as envisaged in the scheme. 8 Lakh MT of foodgrains and 50,000 MT of Chana shall be allocated. The entire outlay of Rs 3,500 crore will be borne by Government of India.
2.Technology system to be used enabling Migrants to access PDS (Ration) from any Fair Price Shops in India by March,2021-One Nation one Ration Card : Pilot scheme for portability of ration cards will be extended to 23 states. By that, 67 crore beneficiaries covering 83% of PDS population will be covered by National portability of Ration cards by August, 2020. 100% National portability will be achieved by March, 2021. This is part of PM’s Technology Driven System Reforms This scheme will enable a migrant worker and their family members to access PDS benefits from any Fair Price Shop in the country.
3. Scheme for Affordable Rental Housing Complexes for Migrant Workers and Urban Poor to be launched : Central Government will launch a scheme for migrant workers and urban poor to provide ease of living at affordable rent. Affordable Rental Housing Complexes will provide social security and quality life to migrant labour, urban poor, and students etc. This will be done through converting government funded houses in the cities into Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC) under PPP mode through concessionaire; manufacturing units, industries, institutions, associations to develop Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC) on their private land and operate; and Incentivising State Govt agencies/Central Government Organizations on similar lines to develop Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC) and operate.
4. 2% Interest Subvention for 12 months for Shishu MUDRA loanees- Relief of Rs. 1,500 crore: Government of India will provide Interest subvention of 2% for prompt payees for a period of 12 months to MUDRA Shishu loanees, who have loans below Rs 50,000. The current portfolio of MUDRA Shishu loans is around Rs 1.62 Lakh crore.
5. Rs 5,000 crore Credit facility for Street Vendors: A special scheme will be launched within a month to facilitate easy access to credit to Street vendors, who are amongst the most adversely impacted by the present situation for enabling them to restart their businesses. Under this scheme, bank credit facility for initial working capital up to Rs 10,000 for each enterprise will be extended. This scheme will cover urban as well as rural vendors doing business in the adjoining urban areas. Use of digital payments and timely repayments will be incentivised through monetary rewards. It is expected that 50 lakh street vendors will be benefitted under this scheme and credit of Rs 5,000 crore would flow to them, according to a PIB release.
6. Rs 70,000 crore boost to housing sector and middle income group through extension of Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme for MIG under PMAY(Urban): The Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme for Middle Income Group (annual Income between Rs 6 and 18 lakh) will be extended up to March 2021. This will benefit 2.5 lakh middle income families during 2020-21 and will lead to investment of over Rs 70,000 crore in housing sector. This will create significant number of jobs by giving boost to Housing sector and will stimulate demand for steel, cement, transport and other construction materials.
7. Rs 6,000 crore for Creating employment using CAMPA funds: Approximately Rs 6,000 crore of funds under Compensatory Afforestation Management & Planning Authority (CAMPA) will be used for Afforestation and Plantation works, including in urban areas,
8. Rs 30,000 crore Additional Emergency Working Capital for farmers through NABARD: NABARD will extend additional re-finance support of Rs 30,000 crore for meeting crop loan requirement of Rural Cooperative Banks and RRBs. This refinance will be front-loaded and available on tap. This is over and above Rs 90,000 crore that will be provided by NABARD to this sector in the normal course. This will benefit around 3 crore farmers, mostly small and marginal and it will meet their post-harvest Rabi and current Kharif requirements.
9. Rs 2 lakh crore credit boost to 2.5 crore farmers under Kisan Credit Card Scheme: A special drive to provide concessional credit to PM-KISAN beneficiaries through Kisan Credit Cards. Fisherman and Animal Husbandy Farmers will also be included in this drive. This will inject additional liquidity of Rs 2 lakh crore in the farm sector covering 2.5 crore farmers.