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Relief for the poor is welcome, but only a beginning

The government has finally announced a relief package, worth Rs 1.7 trillion, to blunt the effects of the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 on the poor. The government’s intention and its plans are welcome. However, it should ideally have been announced with the prime minister’s address, as its absence resulted in uncertainty and panic among the most vulnerable sections of the population.
 

The package features aspects such as a wage increase under the rural employment guarantee scheme, higher caps on collateral-free loans, free gas cylinders under the Ujjwala scheme, and tweaks to the employees’ provident fund. It