Government providing Rs 10,000 to COVID-affected families

KATHMANDU: The government has prepared a work procedure for providing monetary assistance to the families of those rendered jobless due to COVID-19 crisis. 

 It may be noted that a meeting of the Council of Ministers held in the last week of October endorsed the work procedure for the distribution of cash assistance to those indigent households severely affected by COVID-19. 

The Finance Ministry had on November 1 published the procedures in the National Gazette, paving the way for its implementation. The incumbent government had announced the scheme to financially assist the COVID-19 affected families through the substitution budget for the current fiscal year. 

The budget stated that around 500 thousand indigent families becoming workless due to COVID-19 would be given Rs 10,000 each for one time based on certain criteria. Those forced out of work from the informal and unorganized sectors would be eligible for the assistance. 

Street vendors, daily wage earners and public transport workers are among the target groups of this relief package.   

The family would not be eligible for getting the assistance if any of the family members is the beneficiary of the social security allowance being provided by the government, or a government pensioner or a pensioner from foreign government, or is the recipient of fund under the Prime Minister Employment Programme or Center and other programmes of the province or local governments. 

As per the notice, the amount will be released through the banking system and the bank account of the beneficiary is mandatory.  The family in need could apply for the assistance through the respective ward office and the photocopy of the citizenship certificate is required to be attached with the application. 

The government has already allocated Rs five billion to the 753 local governments to undertake the scheme.