Raipur, January 29: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Chhattisgarh capital Raipur on February 3 to launch a financial assistance scheme for landless labourers of rural areas, a government official said on Saturday.

Gandhi will inaugurate Rajiv Gandhi Bhoomihin Krishi Majdoor Nyay Yojana at a function on Science College ground here, he said. Under the scheme, registered labourers in rural areas, who do not possess agricultural land, will be given financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per year, he added.

Nearly 4.5 lakh landless families of MGNREGA labourers, barbers, blacksmiths, priests, etc will benefit from the scheme, for which the state government had made a provision of Rs 200 crore in the budget for the financial year 2021-22, he said.

This will be Gandhi's first visit to the state since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in the country in 2020, although he had attended the state government's programmes virtually during this period.