States to pay ₹50,000 aid to kin of Covid deceased, Centre tells SC

The government has proposed an ex-gratia amount of ₹50,000 for the kin of those who died of Covid-19 and this would be paid by the states from the State Disaster Response Fund, it told the Supreme Court on Wednesday (September 22).

The financial assistance will also be given to the kin of those who died of the virus due to involvement in Covid-19 relief operations or activities associated with the preparedness for dealing with the pandemic.

The ex-gratia assistance will be given subject to the cause of death being certified as COVID-19 as per the guidelines issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and ICMR, the government said.

It added that the ex-gratia assistance will be provided by states from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had come up with the announcement after the top court asked it to frame guidelines on the ex-gratia compensation to be paid to Covid-19 deceased’s kin.

On September 3, the top court had expressed displeasure over delay in framing of guidelines for issuance of death certificates to the families of those who died of COVID-19. The apex court had in its June 30 verdict directed the NDMA to recommend within six weeks the guidelines for ex-gratia assistance on account of loss of life to the family members of persons who died due to COVID-19.

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Over 4.4 lakh deaths due to Covid-19 have been registered in India since January 2020, with a spike being witnessed during the second wave in March-May period.

However, as per many reports, the number of Covid-19 deaths could be much higher as authorities refused to register them under Covid-19 and marked them as co-morbidities.

NDMA has said that claimants can claim the amount by submitting a form with the state disaster authority, including a death certificate that certifies the death as due to Covid-19.

It has directed authorities that the compensation claims are to be settled within 30 days of the submission of the claims and the amount is to be disbursed through Aadhaar-linked direct benefit transfer procedures.

However, according to reports, some states like Bihar (₹4 lakh), Madhya Pradesh (₹1 lakh) and Delhi (₹50,000) are already paying an ex-gratia to the family of the Covid-19 deceased.

(With inputs from Agencies)