4 Sep
The relief aid provided to the women who are facing hardships for livelihoods and disabled women yesterday under the Union Government’s COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan is a good step towards alleviating the distress caused to vulnerable sections of the population amidst COVID-19.
Speaking at the virtual ceremony to handover financial assistance to the needy women and disabled women in communities, Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr Win Myat Aye pledged that the Union Government would not leave behind vulnerable communities such as women, children, aged people, and people with disabilities.
It is worth noting that the relief offered by the government covers various sections of the communities affected by COVID-19 and the vulnerable sections are given priority. At yesterday’s ceremony, over 220 women in post-conflict areas and far-flung areas and about 300 women with disabilities were provided with financial aid for their recovery.
As the financial assistance under the CERP is limited and allocated from the public budget, all governmental departments are obliged to cooperate with each other to ensure that the financial assistance benefits the targeted people effectively.
The scheme is managed in accordance with the human rights and democratic norms to ensure that all can enjoy equal benefits, especially in this time of COVID-19 crisis.
We have empathy for many families which have much anxiety and pain in this time of crisis which will in turn slow down our recovery. We also understand that these people need more than financial aid to rebuild their lives post-COVID-19.
The measure taken to provide financial aid to the poor and vulnerable people in our country is feasible and urgently needed, while the pandemic is now spreading fast and people with low-come and vulnerable populations make a living through informal markets and cannot earn money if they are at home. They are also the ones hardest hit by this crisis.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the government is doing everything it can to protect the people as much as possible and to keep the economy running smoothly. We do believe that the financial relief scheme is one tool in the toolbox that can be useful to stop the spread of the virus in our country.
