NEW DELHI: Amidst rising cases and weeks long lockdown in the national capital, the Government of New Delhi announced several financial assistances for financially weaker section of the city. Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, during a press conference today, announced that in a bid to provide financial help during the crisis, the state government will provide all autorikshaw drivers and taxi drivers in Delhi with Rs 5000 each.
Kejriwal also said that all the ration card holders in the city, who are currently 72 lakh in numbers, will be able to procure free rations for two months from the shops. He added that this announcement does not imply that the lockdown in Delhi will continue for two months. The Delhi government had provided financial assistance in form of Rs 5000 to each of the 1.56 auto and taxi drivers in the city during last year’s lockdown due to the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic, and Kejriwal said that the government will so again to help them.
Describing the current situation in Delhi as a very difficult time, the CM appealed to people to help each other in finding hospital beds, oxygen, medicines, food, and other resources. On Monday, May 3, New Delhi had recorded 448 COVID-19 deaths pushing the total death toll due to COVID-19 in the city to 17,414.