• The ex-gratia compensation will also be given to the kin of Covid-19 victims including those involved in relief operations.

 

The union government on Tuesday approved ₹50,000 as compensation for kin of people who died due to the deadly disease of Covid. The union home ministry in its letter to all states and UTs asked them to disburse the amount from State Disaster Response Fund.

Earlier, the Centre has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) recommended an amount of ₹50,000 as ex-gratia to be paid to families of those who died of Covid-19 including those who involved in relief operations or associated in preparedness activities subject to cause of death being certified as Covid-19.

The order comes even as Supreme Court is hearing a petition filed by lawyer-cum-petitioner, Gaurav Kumar Bansal, seeking an ex-gratia compensation for those family members, who died due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

The ex-gratia will also be given to the kin of Covid-19 victims including those involved in relief operations.

The MHA, in its letter, said that ” ₹50,000 per deceased person including those involved in relief operations or associated in preparedness activities, subject to the cause of death being certified as Covid-19 as per guidelines jointly issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).”

The MHA also said that this ex-gratia assistance will be applicable from the date of first Covid-19 case reported in the country and will continue till de-notification of Covid-19 as a disaster or till further orders, whichever is earlier.

The Centre on March 14 this year has declared Covid-19 as a ‘notified disaster.’ As per Union Health Ministry data, India’s death toll due to Covid-19 exceeds 400,000.