Bhubaneswar, 23/12: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today handed over their rights to the state’s newspaper hawkers. He announced special Covid assistance for newspaper hawkers.
The Department of Information and Public Relations has developed and registered a digital database for 7,300 hawkers in the state. Each registered hacker received a grant of Rs 6,000. A total of Rs 34 lakh crore has been provided. It goes directly to their bank account. The assistance is provided by the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
“The hawkers are a bridge between newspapers and readers,” he said. During the dry, rainy, winter, and even during the Covid epidemic, they forgot their grief and provided newspapers to the readers. “Even in the digital age, the demand for newspapers has not diminished,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that with the help of Covid, the hawkers would be included in the Unorganized Social Security Board and given assistance. Assistance has also been provided for Rs 2 lakh in case of accidental death, Rs 1 lakh in case of natural death and for those who are completely disabled in the accident. The chief minister also announced that workshops would be set up at the district level to work for the convenience of hackers. It will be built by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
It is to be noted that Rs 1.5 lakh has been provided to the hawkers due to accidental disability, Rs 80,000 to the hackers who lost both limbs and Rs 40,000 to the hackers who lost one limb.
Addressing a function at the Lok Sabha Bhavan Convention Hall, Water Resources and Information and Public Relations Minister Shri Raghunandan Das said that Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik has written a new history of progress in Odisha through a number of public welfare programs. Hawkers facing financial hardship will benefit from this, he said.
Mr. Manas Mangraj, a media adviser to the state government, added that the Chief Minister’s move was innovative and unique across the country.
Mr. Govardhan Das from Bhubaneswar, Ratnakar Pradhan from Cuttack, Krishnachandra Nath from Sambalpur and Mr. Santosh Panigrahi from Berhampur expressed their feelings at the event and said, We express our heartfelt gratitude to the Chief Minister for his understanding of our plight.
Chief Minister’s Secretary (5T) Shri V.K. Pandian hosted the event.