Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday announced five more stimulus packages amounting to Tk 3,200 crore to provide financial assistance for low-income people hit hard by the ongoing countrywide restrictions enforced to contain the fresh surge of coronavirus.
The packages will be used to assist low-income people who have been hit hard by the restrictions imposed due to the ongoing lockdown amid the alarming spread of coronavirus, said a PMO media release signed by PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim.
The government has been compelled to enforce the countrywide lockdown as the numbers of deaths and infections from Covid-19 continue to make new records every single day.
Under the new incentives, Tk 450 crore has been allocated to 14,37,389 day labourers, 2,35,033 transport workers, 50,445 small traders and 1,603 shipping workers. Each of them will receive Tk 2,500 in cash.
The government will run a special open market sale from 813 centres across the country for 14 days to help the low-income people in urban areas.
The government will run a special open market sale from 813 centres across the country for 14 days to help the low-income people in urban areas.
Some 20,000 metric tonne of rice and 14,000 metric tonne of flour, worth of Tk 150 crore, have allocated for the purpose.
Besides this, Tk 100 crore is allocated for special assistance in favour of Deputy Commissioners for providing food assistance in response to the request of the public on telephone number 333.
Tk 1,500 crore is allocated to Palli Sanchay Bank, Karmasangsthan Bank and PKSF for financing job creation activities in rural areas with the additional allocation of Tk 3,200 crore for the purpose of providing loan assistance (at 4% interest). In addition, Tk 1,000 crore has been allocated for providing Working Capital Loan Assistance at 4 percent interest through the banking system for the purpose of paying the salaries, allowances of the employees of the hotels, motels and theme parks in the tourism sector.Last year, the premier unveiled a total of 23 stimulus packages of Tk 124,053 crore to keep rolling the wheels of country’s economy against the back drop of Covid-19 outbreak.
When the first wave of Covid-19 hit the country, the premier provided cash support of Tk 2,500 each to 36.50 lakh poor families and vulnerable groups across the country.
This year, the premier in the second phase of financial assistance also distributed Tk 2,500 to some 36.50 lakh families hit hard by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
In the first wave of Covid-19, a total of nearly 2.5 crore people, including day labourers, transport workers, hawkers, rickshaw pullers, school and madrasa teachers, students, Imams and Muezzins along with people of other religious organisations, journalists and other low-income people were brought under the government’s assistance due to the prime minister’s humanitarian assistance initiative.
