The WHO chief highlighted Prime Minister Modi's work in this regard as an example and praised him for announcing a $24 billion package to 'support India's vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 crisis'.
The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Thursday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to help the poor and migrant workers (the economically weaker section of the society) of India deal with the financial difficulties arising out of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the country.
Taking to Twitter, the WHO chief said that as COVID-19 continues to spread like wildfire across the world, several countries are understandably are asking people to stay home and shutting down population movement to limit COVID19 transmission. However, Ghebreyesus pointed out, these measures can have 'unintended consequences' for the poorest and the most vulnerable.sections of society. He urged all countries to take note of this fact and ensure that these marginalised populations have food and life essentials during this crisis.
Thereafter, the WHO chief proceeded to highlight Prime Minister Modi's work in this regard as an example and praised him for announcing a $24 billion package to 'support India's vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 crisis'. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also listed in three-steps the measures that Modi took, which are, as he put:
- Free food rations for 800 million disadvantaged people
- Cash transfers to 204 million poor women
- Free cooking gas for 80 million households
Finally, the WHO chief had a note of concern for the developing countries of the world, stating that several of these countries will struggle to implement social welfare programs of this nature. However, as he said, "broad and expedited agreement on debt relief is essential to enable them to care for their people and avoid economic collapse."
The central government had the last week unveiled a fiscal stimulus package of Rs 1.7 lakh crore to help the poor and migrant workers (the economically weaker section of the society) of India deal with the financial difficulties arising out of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the country. The measures, revealed under the "Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan Scheme", include direct benefit cash transfers and food security amid the countrywide lockdown.
"No one will go hungry," Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman had said while unveiling the schemes, highlighting that the government's priority is to help the poor deal with the financial hardships arising out of this coronavirus-necessitated lockdown. Besides the poor, the scheme also keeps other marginalised sections of the society in mind - such as women, pensioners and the differently-abled.
Some of the measures announced by the central government under the "Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan Scheme" are:
- Every household under the PM Gareeb Kalyan Scheme will receive 5 kg of rice or wheat per month, free of cost, in addition to what they receive under the National Food Security Act already. The household will also be eligible to get 1 kg of pulses free for three months.
- Women working with self-help groups will eligible to receive collateral-free loans worth Rs 10 lakh, under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya National Rural Mission scheme. The cap has been raised to Rs 20 lakh.
- Below Poverty Line (BPL) families will get free gas cylinders for cooking, for three months.
In light of the heightened concern on the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in India, the country has been placed under complete lockdown for 21 days. Authorities have asked citizens to maintain strict social distancing to cut the spread of the virus outbreak.
As of 2:22 PM on Monday, close to 2,000 people across India have been reported to have contracted the COVID-19 disease, as new cases were reported in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Kerala on this day. The virus has affected over 9.3 lakh people worldwide. The global death toll has crossed 47,000, according to the COVID-19 statistics center at the John Hopkins University.
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 "The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus")
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