Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has announced that he is airdropping cryptocurrency to every doctor in his country as a token of appreciation for their work to combat the coronavirus outbreak. The national cryptocurrency, the petro, will be distributed via the Homeland card (Carnet de la Patria).
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Petro Airdrop to All Venezuelan Doctors
The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, is airdropping the country’s cryptocurrency, the petro (PTR), to all doctors in Venezuela as a special bonus for their work to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The Twitter account for the Homeland card (Carnet de la Patria) announced on Wednesday:
Thanks to President Nicolas Maduro, the delivery of the special bonus for all doctors of the country has begun in the amount of 1 petro through the Carnet de la Patria.
Carnet de la Patria is the Venezuelan identity document that includes a unique personalized QR code; it was created in 2016 by the Venezuelan government.
Venezolana de Televisión, a state-run TV station based in Caracas, noted that “through the Homeland platform, this benefit will be delivered to all those doctors as part of the recognition and thanks for the support to carry out the noble work of protecting the health of the Venezuelan people in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic that plagues humanity.”
This is not the first time Maduro airdrops the petro to Venezuelan citizens. Last year, he airdropped it to retirees and pensioners and claimed in January this year that almost 6 million families in the country had used the cryptocurrency as a payment method.
How Much Is a Petro Worth?
According to the Venezuelan government’s official exchange rate, at the time of this writing, one petro can be exchanged for 0.00874729 BTC, 58.92 U.S. dollars, 4,989,701 bolivars, 54.23 euros, or 417.23 yuan.
However, the petro can be purchased on the open market at a fraction of the price set by the Venezuelan government, as news.Bitcoin.com previously reported. Venezuelans can use the Petroapp, provided by the government, to manage their petros and other cryptocurrencies: BTC, LTC, and DASH. The app also lets them exchange, buy, or transfer the petro, as well as use it to pay for goods and services.
Maduro’s Trouble With US Government
Maduro and a number of high-ranking Venezuelan officials have been charged by the U.S. government with “narco-terrorism, corruption, drug trafficking and other criminal charges,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week.
Several of the Venezuelan government officials charged allegedly partnered with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), Colombia’s largest rebel group, to “flood” the U.S. with cocaine, the DOJ claims.
Furthermore, the U.S. Department of State is offering rewards of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Maduro. A $10 million bounty has also been placed on a few other high-ranking Venezuelan officials. Meanwhile, last month, Maduro ordered bank closures amid the coronavirus scare.
What do you think about Maduro airdropping one petro to all doctors in Venezuela? Let us know in the comments section below.
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