LUCKNOW: The state government on Wednesday transferred Rs 1,000 through direct benefit transfer to each bank account of 23.05 lakh daily wagers as part of its scheme to assist those whose livelihoods were hit during the pandemic.
The beneficiaries included dhobis, rickshaw pullers, construction workers, cobblers and halwais.
Lauding labourers and daily wagers for helping the government in its fight against Covid even though they were a vulnerable section of society, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that UP had the best recovery rate and least number of deaths despite being the most populous state.
After assuming power in 2017, our government introduced many schemes for the poor.
We organised community marriages for their daughters and ensured that DMs and commissioners distributed marriage invites and ministers greeted guests at the venue,” the CM said, adding other schemes had been launched to educate children of labourers.
Also, they have got a Rs 2lakh health insurance cover and ration cards, he said.
“Before 2017, no ration cards were being issued.
Those linked to the party in power had multiple cards, while the poor did not have access to even one.
In 2020, when more than 40 lakh migrant workers returned to the state during the lockdown, UP was the first state to provide free ration to those who didn’t have ration cards.
Our handling of the migrant crisis is now a subject of research of international organisations,” he said.
The state set up a labour commission in 2020, the CM said, which the government used to ensure welfare of labourers.
In the second wave, the government did not shut down industry or agricultural activity and Covid help desks and Covid care centres were set up to help workers, he added.
Encouraging workers to register with the labour department, the CM said every labourer in the organised or unorganised sector, would be given an annual insurance of Rs 5 lakh during registration.
The CM also interacted with some workers from various districts and handed over symbolic cheques of Rs 1,000 to five workers during the event.