Members of the Kovai District Washermen Association on Monday appealed to the district administration to forward to the State Government their demand for increased financial assistance.
Nearly 3,000 members who had signed the petition sought a special COVID-19 financial assistance of ₹5,000 a month for the next six months.
The association president M.N. Subramanian said the lockdown had hit hard their livelihood. Many of the members were without regular income and found it difficult to pay rent, power bill, buy groceries, milk, LPG cylinder or meet other essential expenditure.
Though the government had, through the Washermen Welfare Board, given ₹2,000 thus far, it was not enough.
Though the government had partially eased the lockdown restriction and people had started moving on the streets, they were not getting business.
Considering their dire straits, the administration should convey their plight to the Government and arrange for the financial assistance, he reiterated.
