Maha govt plans to provide financial assistance to tribals

The Maharashtra government is in the process of finalising a Rs 800 crore scheme to help tribals in the state overcome the financial challenges faced by them due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, state Tribal Development Minister K C Padvi said on Wednesday. Talking to PTI over phone, he said that under this scheme, each tribal family will get a one-time financial assistance of approximately Rs 4,000.

"Around 80 lakh tribals in the state, out of the total tribal population of 1.25 crore, will benefit due to this scheme," Padvi said. According to him, most of the tribals work as daily wagers in unorganised sector.

"As their income was impacted due to the lockdown, the state government decided to help them out during this crisis and therefore chalked out this plan. Each tribal family will get Rs 4,000 under this scheme," he said. "Instead of depositing the money into the bank accounts, there is a proposal to make the payments through the post offices," he added.

According to the minister, the scheme will be rolled out soon. "The first phase will be funded by the state government. We have already sought assistance of Rs 1,000 crore from the Centre. If that comes, we may even go for the second round of distribution. It will help the community," he added.

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