Rupesh Samant

Panaji, May 30: Goa government on Sunday announced financial compensation of Rs 2 lac for the families of the Covid-19 victims who have a financially weak background or who were earning members.

State chief minister Pramod Sawant in his address to the state on the occasion of Statehood Day also said that the government is attempting to make the state corona-free.

He said that those who lost their earning family member to Covid-19 infection or who are financially weaker will be given Rs 2 lac financial compensation.

Sawant also said that in line with the scheme for Covid-19 orphaned children, the state will launch 'Mukhyamantri Anath Adhar Yojana' for all the orphans, who will be provided monthly financial assistance.

The state government has also decided to extend the age limit up to 21 years for the children who are in various childcare institutions.

“Those orphans (irrespective of whether they lost parents to Covid-19) who are in the tenth standard and above will be given free laptops by the state government, ” he said.

In his address, Sawant said that state has tried to give the best management to tackle the disease. “The positivity rate is decreasing, I am confident that the state will become corona-free,” he added.

The chief minister said that the second phase of vaccination for the age group of 18-44 will begin in the state from June 3 onwards.

He stated that parents with a child who is lesser than two years of age, the people with the comorbid condition, rickshaw, motorcycle pilot, taxi drivers, seafarers and differently-abled persons will be given priority in the vaccination.

On Statehood Day, Sawant recalled the contribution of all the past governments towards the development of the state.

He thanked Narendra Modi-led government for their assistance to the state during the last seven years, contributing to its progress. He said that the union government’s assistance to fight back the Covid-19 pandemic is significant.

In yet another announcement, the chief minister said that the some of the revenue and legislature documents still carry 'Goa, Daman and Diu' on it, which would be now kept only as 'Goa' as both the other territories cease to be part of the state after the statehood. He said that the law department has been asked to work on renaming it.

Sawant said that all the financially weaker panchayats will be given a fund of Rs 50,000 to tackle cyclone or Covid-19 impact. “The fund would be transferred by Monday-Tuesday,” he added.