NEW DELHI: Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transfer Rs 6, 000 per month to the accounts of eligible poor.
"The Congress President has suggested that the centre should provide free food grains to the needy and give Rs 6, 000 per month to all the jobless people. In view of the above mentioned condition of the poor and downtrodden due to the ongoing pandemic, I shall request that at least to start with you may give a serious thought to the suggestion of the Congress President that the Central government should resort to direct cash transfer of Rs 6, 000 per month in the bank accounts of all the eligible poor people of the states under lockdown, including the State of West Bengal, " he said, in a letter to the Prime Minister.
Chowdhury contended that this will not only mitigate the sufferings of the millions of poor but it is good economics as well because it will have a multiplier effect on the economy.
Stressing that he wanted to bring to notice the hardship and suffering being faced by the poor, daily wagers and the marginalised sections of the society due to the current lockdown imposed in various states, he said: "In view of the ongoing pandemic and the lockdowns, such people have been rendered unemployed, resulting in their incomes dwindling and them not being able to provide for and feed their family. Accordingly, such people are in a deplorable condition and are feeling abandoned, completely left-out and hopeless."