Assistance given by Centre to poor insufficient, says Chidambaram

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday took a dig at the government over the quantum of relief given to the poor during COVID-19 crisis and also said that money given under PMGKP (Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package) could not have acted as a 'stimulus' to boost demand and revive the economy.

Chidambaram, who made a series of tweets, asked if the money received by beneficiaries relief in any sense.

"How much did each beneficiary get under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana? Was it 'relief' in any real sense or tokenism? Under NSAP 2.81 crore persons got Rs 2,814 crore or Rs 1000 per person. Could that sum have kept body and soul together?" he asked.

"Jan Dhan account holding women (20.6 crore) got Rs 30,925 crore or Rs 1500 each over three months. Could a homemaker have run a family on Rs 500 a month? Migrants (2.66 crore) got 2.67 lakh MT of food grains over 2 months. That is 5 kg per month," he said.

"Could it have sustained a migrant and his family? The numbers prove that the money given was niggardly and totally insufficient And certainly, the money could not have acted as a 'stimulus' to boost demand and revive the economy," he added.

The government had said on Tuesday that more than 42 crore people have received Rs 68,820-crore financial assistance under the government's Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKP) to protect poor and vulnerable from the impact of COVID-19 crisis.

( With inputs from ANI )