Chief minister Hemant Soren will re-launch an old government scheme to provide dhotis and saris to BPL families at Rs 10 each in Dumka on Wednesday.

Titled "Sona Sobran Dhoti Sari Scheme", all BPL families will be provided benefits under this scheme twice a year from PDS shops across the state.

The scheme was launched in 2014 during Hemant Soren’s first stint as chief minister. However, after the BJP government came to power, it was discontinued. After the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance government returned to power in 2019, state government announced it would resume it for about 57 lakh BPL families listed under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) to provide subsidised clothing along with ration.

Sources in the state food, civil supplies and public distribution department said that Rs 200 crore had been allocated for the scheme in the current fiscal year.. “Due to covid-19, it failed to kick off before,” said an official.

State food and civil supplies department minister Rameshwar Oraon, who is also the finance minister, said that the state government is set to fulfill yet another poll promise following the launch of this scheme. Oraon will also be present at the launch in Dumka.

“It was one of the poll promises which the alliance government made. We are set to make it a reality now,” he said.

While Hemant will preside over the programme in Dumka other districts are scheduled to hold similar functions too.

In Ranchi, the district administration will hold a function at Palash auditorium in Doranda. On Tuesday, deputy commissioner Chhavi Ranjan inspected the venue to ensure that all Covid norms were adhered to.