Naveen On Pre-Election Sop Spree; Announces Rs 1000 Livelihood Assistance For BSKY Cardholders

Bhubaneswar: In what is being perceived as another pre-election sop, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced livelihood assistance of Rs 1000 each for Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) cardholders in Odisha.

The CM said the decision was taken to assist the poor, who have been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Beneficiaries of National Food Security Act (NFSA) and State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) will also get monetary assistance.

“Our efforts to save people’s lives have been successful, but the pandemic has adversely impacted economic and social well-being of all, and the poor have suffered greatly,” he said.

Stating that the welfare of the poor was a priority for his government, he said that the move will benefit around 96 lakh families. It will cost the state exchequer Rs 960 crore, he added.

The CM has directed for disbursement of the money to the beneficiaries within seven days.

Notably, Naveen on Tuesday had announced that it would spend Rs 1,444 crore towards providing house repair assistance in the range of Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 for beneficiaries of Biju Pucca Ghar (BPGY), Nirman Shramik Pucca Ghar Yojna and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Grameen (PMAY-G).

The government had also released Rs 350 crore for distribution as livelihood assistance among beneficiaries of national and state food security schemes in all 30 districts of the state.

Panchayat and urban body polls are due in the state early next year.