<p dir="auto">An estimated 2,000 women in Assam became widows due to Covid-19 and many of them need financial assistance.</p>.<p dir="auto">Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said this on Sunday while launching a scheme under which women who lost their husbands due to Covid-19 would be given one-time financial assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh each.</p>.<p dir="auto"><span>Those with a family annual income below Rs 5 lakh would get the benefits of the scheme. </span></p>.<p dir="auto">As many as 883 such women have been identified so far, out of which 176 from four districts were handed over the cheques by Sarma on Sunday in Guwahati.</p>.<p dir="auto">"More than 6,100 people in our state died due to Covid-19 or those suffering from other ailments but died after contracting Covid-19. So not less than 2,000 women became widows due to the pandemic. We can not compensate their loss but we can do a little by providing some financial assistance to those who require such help," Sarma said while formally launching the <span>Chief Minister’s Covid-19 Widows Support Scheme. </span></p>.<p dir="auto"><span>"All the deputy commissioners have been asked to identify such women who need to be provided financial assistance under the scheme," Sarma said. </span></p>.<p dir="auto">The state government earlier launched Sishu Seva Scheme under which the children who became orphans due to Covid-19 were offered Rs 3,500 per month till they become self-dependent.</p>.<p dir="auto">Sarma said he asked finance minister Ajanta Neog to work out a scheme in the next state budget to offer some kind of financial assistance to the family members of all those who lost their dear ones due to Covid-19.</p>.<p dir="auto">The new interim budget of the BJP-led government is scheduled to be presented in the state Assembly on July 16.</p>.<p dir="auto">Assam still has over 21,000 active Covid-19 cases and nearly 2,500 cases are being reported daily. Last week, the state government declared seven districts as containment zones in view of rise in Covid-19 cases. </p>
<p dir="auto">An estimated 2,000 women in Assam became widows due to Covid-19 and many of them need financial assistance.</p>.<p dir="auto">Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said this on Sunday while launching a scheme under which women who lost their husbands due to Covid-19 would be given one-time financial assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh each.</p>.<p dir="auto"><span>Those with a family annual income below Rs 5 lakh would get the benefits of the scheme. </span></p>.<p dir="auto">As many as 883 such women have been identified so far, out of which 176 from four districts were handed over the cheques by Sarma on Sunday in Guwahati.</p>.<p dir="auto">"More than 6,100 people in our state died due to Covid-19 or those suffering from other ailments but died after contracting Covid-19. So not less than 2,000 women became widows due to the pandemic. We can not compensate their loss but we can do a little by providing some financial assistance to those who require such help," Sarma said while formally launching the <span>Chief Minister’s Covid-19 Widows Support Scheme. </span></p>.<p dir="auto"><span>"All the deputy commissioners have been asked to identify such women who need to be provided financial assistance under the scheme," Sarma said. </span></p>.<p dir="auto">The state government earlier launched Sishu Seva Scheme under which the children who became orphans due to Covid-19 were offered Rs 3,500 per month till they become self-dependent.</p>.<p dir="auto">Sarma said he asked finance minister Ajanta Neog to work out a scheme in the next state budget to offer some kind of financial assistance to the family members of all those who lost their dear ones due to Covid-19.</p>.<p dir="auto">The new interim budget of the BJP-led government is scheduled to be presented in the state Assembly on July 16.</p>.<p dir="auto">Assam still has over 21,000 active Covid-19 cases and nearly 2,500 cases are being reported daily. Last week, the state government declared seven districts as containment zones in view of rise in Covid-19 cases. </p>