As informed by banks, as on 24.02.2021, 41.93 crore accounts have been opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). State-wise number of accounts under PMJDY as on 24.02.2021 is at
Annexure.
This was stated by Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Giving more details, the Minister stated that the Government had announced a ₹ 1.70 lakh crore ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana’ relief package on 26.03.2020 to combat the economic impact of COVID-19 on the poor and needy and to help them in the fight against Corona Virus. The salient features of the package were:
- Comprehensive personal accident insurance cover of ₹ 50 lakh for health workers fighting COVID-19.
- Additional allocation of food grain @ 5 kg per person and pulses @ 1 kg per family per month free of cost to all beneficiaries covered under the targeted public distribution system.
- Front loading and payment in April, 2020 itself of the first instalment of ₹ 2,000 due in 2020-21 to about 8.7 crore farmers under the PM KISAN Yojana.
- An ex-gratia of ₹ 500 per month for three months to 20.40 crore (approx) women PMJDY account-holders and release of ₹ 1000/- to around 3 crore aged widows and persons in Divyang category.
- Free of cost LPG cylinders to 8 crore beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.
- Providing 24% of the monthly wages into PF accounts of wage-earners earning below ₹ 15,000 per month, in businesses with less than 100 workers, for three months to prevent disruption in employment.
- Increasing (i) MNREGA wages by ₹ 20 w.e.f. 01.04.2020 and (ii) Limit of collateral free lending from ₹ 10 to ₹ 20 lakh for women organized through 63 lakh Self Help Groups who support 6.85 crore households.
- Amendment to Employees’ Provident Fund Regulations to include Pandemic as the reason to allow non-refundable advance of 75% of the amount or three months wages, whichever is lower, from their accounts.
- Directions issued to State Governments to utilize:
a. Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Fund for assistance and support to around 3.5 Crore registered workers &
b. District Mineral Fund for supplementing and augmenting facilities of medical testing, screening and other requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic as well as treat the patients affected with this pandemic.
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