Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP)

In News: As per the data collected by the Indian Medical Association, over 1,800 doctors have died in the line of COVID-19 duty.

However, dependents of doctors got just over 20% of the total money distributed under the insurance scheme for health workers.

A special leave petition has been filed in the Supreme Court in this context.

About PMGKP:

• It is a comprehensive relief package of Rs 1.70 Lakh Crore for the poor to help them fight the battle against Corona Virus and enable them to buy essential supplies and meet essential needs.
• It was announced in March 2020
• It includes
• an insurance cover of Rs 50 Lakh per health worker fighting COVID-19
• 80 crore poor people to get 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred pulses for free every month
• 20 crore women Jan Dhan account holders to get Rs 500 per month for next three months
• Increase in MNREGA wage to Rs 202 a day from Rs 182 to benefit 13.62 crore families
• Ex-gratia of Rs 1,000 to 3 crore poor senior citizen, poor widows and poor disabled

Issues:

• Over 75% of doctors who succumbed to the infection have not benefited from the scheme because a majority of them were not working in COVID-designated hospitals.
• Total number of beneficiaries as on August 31 was 1,962 and the amount disbursed was ₹981 crore. However, just over 21.5% of the money disbursed under the PMGKP has been given to doctors.

Source: The Hindu            

 Previous Year Question

Q.1) With reference to Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, consider the following statements: (2018)

1. It is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
2. It, among other things will also impart training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy.
3. It aims to align the competencies of the unregulated workforce of the country to the National Skill Qualification Framework.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2, and 3