Uttarakhand govt to provide Rs 3,000 per month to children orphaned by COVID-19

The Uttarakhand Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to the Chief Minister Vatsalya Yojana, which aims to help children who lost their parents or the earning member of their family during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the CM Vatsalya Yojana, the government will take responsibility for such children who have lost their parents and will provide assistance of Rs 3,000 per month. Besides monetary assistance, the state government will also provide free education, ration and health facilities, till the time they attain the age of 21.

In other major decisions, the Cabinet has approved compensation for the people associated with the tourism industry whose livelihoods were impacted by the pandemic. A sum of Rs 2,500 will be provided to tour guides and operators and registered rafting guides by the state for two months.

The Cabinet has also approved the demolition of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) for reconstruction work at Kedarnath whereas a budget of Rs 100 crore was approved for flood management at Badrinath.

The state Cabinet also approved Mukhyamantri Swarozgar Yojana Ati Shuksham (nano industries). Under the scheme, the state government aims to encourage 20,000 people to take up small-scale works by providing them a subsidy. Under the scheme, the government aims to provide a Rs 5,000 subsidy to people who want to start work with an amount in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000.

The state Cabinet also waived off the Rs 49 lakh for the reconstruction work at Hotel Alaknanda at Haridwar.

The Shilpkar Protsahan Yojana was also extended by a period of five years.

The Cabinet also decided to set up a trust for the proposed Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor in Udham Singh Nagar. It was decided that 1,000 acres of land would be allotted for the project.

( With inputs from ANI )