News Analysis India

Tag: covid compensation

  • Teams sent to 4 states to verify ex gratia claims

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Complying with a Supreme Court order, the Union health ministry has rushed teams to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala for random scrutiny of claims filed for Covid-19 ex gratia compensation. 

    The teams will examine on-field implementation of the ex gratia being paid as per the directions of the Supreme Court and guidelines issued by the National Disaster Management Authority. They will conduct random scrutiny of 5 per cent of applications for payment of ex gratia assistance.

    The central teams will also ascertain the process followed for payment, examine details of cases approved or rejected and documents verified by the district authorities. The court had on March 24 emphasised that making a false claim and/or producing a false certificate to avail of the compensation is liable for punishment under Section 52 of Disaster Management Act, 2005. State officials will assist the central teams. Under the ex gratia scheme, families of people, who died due to Covid-19 are entitled to Rs 50,000.

    ‘WHO order routine’Professor Balram Bhargava, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) suspension of Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin is a “routine” matter and that its manufacturer Bharat Biotech is improving its facilities. “(It is a) routine thing that (has) happened. Inspection of the facilities is a routine,” Bhargava said at an event on Thursday.

  • Gujarat Congress takes out ‘Nyay Padyatra’ demanding COVID compensation for kin of all victims

    By Express News Service

    The Congress in Gujarat took out a march across the state on Monday to demand Rs 4 lakh compensation from the government for the family members of each of those who have died due to COVID-19 in the state.

    The ‘Nyay Padyatra’ (march for justice) was taken out across eight metros and 33 district headquarters. The state Congress President Jagdish Thakor said they submitted memorandums to the district collectors at the end of the rally.

    Through this exercise, the opposition party aims to highlight the difficulties faced by the affected families in getting their applications cleared for the ex gratia compensation of Rs 50,000, he said.

    The Gujarat Congress alleged that more than three lakh people have lost their lives due to the “criminal negligence” and “clumsy administration” of the government during the pandemic.

    Chief spokesperson of Gujarat Congress Manish Doshi said it was “totally unreasonable and unjust” that people have to run from pillar to post to get their applications approved for compensation.

    The number of applications submitted by the next of kin of the deceased for Rs 50,000 ex gratia is way more than the state government’s official COVID-19 death figure of 10,648, he said.

    The Supreme Court had on Friday last week reiterated that applications seeking compensation should not be rejected on technical grounds. It had in its earlier orders directed the state to pay an ex gratia of Rs 50,000 to the families of COVID-19 fatalities.

    In one of its orders in the case, the apex court had said that no state shall deny ex gratia solely on the ground that the death certificate does not mention the virus as the cause of death.

    Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said, “The government should answer why it had to reject more than 15,000 applications, and why it has not publicized the issue of compensation in such a way that the poor and common man gets information.”

  • Centre planning to increase monthly stipend of children who lost parents due to COVID to Rs 4,000

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The central government is planning to increase the monthly financial support given to children who lost their parents to COVID-19 from Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000, a senior official said on Tuesday.

    The official said a proposal may go to the Cabinet for approval in the next few weeks.

    The Women and Child Development Ministry has proposed that the monthly stipend given to children who lost their parents to the pandemic be increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000, the official said.

    The government in May had announced that children who have lost both parents or surviving parent or legal guardian/adoptive parents due to COVID-19 will be supported under the ‘PM-CARES for Children’ scheme.

    Till now, out of 3,250 applications received under the scheme, a total of 667 have been approved by district magistrates concerned, according to ministry data.

    The data also showed that applications have been received from 467 districts till now.

  • Considering issues regarding ex-gratia to kin of those who died of COVID, Union government tells SC

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that issues raised in the pleas, seeking directions for ex-gratia compensation of Rs 4,00,000 to the families of those who have died of COVID-19, are “genuine” and are under consideration of the government.

    Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, requested a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and M R Shah to give him some time so that he can file a reply on the pleas.

    “The issues are genuine and are being attended to. If the court will grant me some time, I will file a reply,” Mehta told the bench.

    The apex court observed that as per media reports, the Bihar government has already announced that it would give Rs 4,00,000 ex-gratia to families of those who have died due to COVID-19.

    When the counsel appearing for one of the petitioners said that authorities are not issuing death certificates to those succumbing to the deadly virus, Mehta said, “Let me put in my reply. I have already said that issues raised are genuine”.

    During the hearing conducted through video-conferencing, the counsel also referred to the issue of black fungus.

    “We are granting you time. We can have it on next Friday,” the bench told Mehta, who requested the bench to grant two-week time.

    “Why two weeks?,” the bench asked, adding that earlier it had given 10 days to the Centre to file affidavit in the matter.

    Mehta said, “The entire machinery is diverted. Please have it after two weeks.”

    “Tushar Mehta, the solicitor general submits that the issues are under consideration of the Union of India and he shall file a reply and thereafter the matter may be heard.

    As prayed, time is allowed to file a reply.

    List these petitions on June 21, 2021.

    The reply be served on the counsel for the petitioners by June 18,” the bench said in its order.

    On May 24, the top court had sought the Centre’s reply on two petitions seeking ex-gratia compensation of Rs four lakh to the families of those who have died of COVID-19 and had said that there should be a uniform policy for issuing death certificates to those succumbing to the virus.

    The court had also asked the Centre to place before it the ICMR guidelines on death certificates for COVID-19 victims, saying there should be uniform policy for issuing such documents.

    The counsel appearing for the Centre had on May 24 sought time to obtain instructions and bring all relevant materials regarding the scheme under Section 12(iii) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 as well as the letter dated April 8, 2015 issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs with regard to compensation.

    The apex court is hearing two separate pleas seeking directions to the Centre and the states to provide Rs four lakh compensation to the families of coronavirus victims as provisioned under the Act, and a uniform policy for issuing death certificates.

    Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, one of the petitioners in the matter, had argued that under section 12(iii) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, every family whose member died due to disaster is entitled for ex-gratia compensation of Rs 4,00,000.

    He had argued that since COVID-19 has been declared as a disaster and as per the order dated April 8, 2015, every family whose member dies due to disaster is entitled for ex-gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh.

    The counsel, appearing for another petitioner Reepak Kansal, had argued that large number of deaths were taking place due to COVID-19 and death certificates need to be issued, as only after that the affected family members can claim compensation under section 12 (iii) of the Act.

    In his plea, Kansal has said that states should be directed to fulfil their obligation to take care of victims of COVID-19 and also their family members.