News Analysis India

Tag: Covid victims compensation

  • PM Modi failed nation; SC order on compensation to kin of COVID victims vindicates our stand: Congress

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday said the Supreme Court asking the government to grant compensation to the families of COVID-19 victims is a vindication of its stance and has exposed and debunked the Centre’s plan to abdicate its responsibility.

    The opposition party alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again failed the nation by not standing with the families of Covid victims and demanded that he immediately announce a “COVID Compensation Fund” with a relief of Rs 10 lakh each to them.

    Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the government should also announce concrete steps to tackle the imminent third wave of COVID-19.

    “We, the Indian National Congress, demand that the prime minister and the Modi government should wake up from their indifference and slumber to the unfolding human tragedy, which could have been largely prevented but for the criminal mismanagement and successive failures of the government,” he said in a statement.

    “The prime minister should immediately announce a “COVID Compensation Fund” with a relief of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the victims of COVID-19,” he added.

    The Congress leader said as demanded by the Congress and other opposition parties, the government should lay down realistic targets and ensure vaccination on a mission mode, instead of repeatedly trying to use it as an image management or branding exercise.

    This is the only way to fight COVID-19 and heal those who have suffered, he said.

    Surjewala said the “anti-people and ill-conceived plan” of the government to abdicate its responsibility of providing assistance and compensation to the families of Covid victims has been exposed and debunked by the Supreme Court.

    “This is a vindication of the Congress party’s stance and the demand raised by Rahul Gandhi for the creation of a ‘COVID Compensation Fund’ and grant of Rs 10 lakh to every COVID-19 victim by the central government by transferring 10 per cent of the annual ‘fuel loot’ of Rs 4 lakh crore being collected by the Government of India,” he said.

    “The sinister attempt of the Modi government to choke and dilute the Congress/UPA-enacted legislation i.e. the Disaster Management Act, 2005 with a view to deny compensation to the families of the victims of COVID-19 has also been decisively rejected by the court,” the Congress leader said.

    Alleging that the “malice and malintent” of the government to deny compensation has been unmasked, he said the Centre’s response, affidavit and arguments in the apex court to deny compensation to the families of Covid victims were “utterly shameful, reflecting their inhumane approach”.

    Reminding the prime minister to follow “Rajdharma”, Surjewala said as the head of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) as also by virtue of the office he holds, the prime minister was obligated to show compassion towards those who have lost their loved ones to the viral disease.

    “Sadly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi again failed the nation,” he said.

    Surjewala said the Supreme Court had to issue a direction to the NDMA, headed by the prime minister, to frame guidelines to grant compensation to the families of Covid victims after debunking the government’s stance.

    This calls for serious introspection on part of the prime minister about his role and responsibilities as the head of the nation, he said.

    The Supreme Court directed the NDMA on Wednesday to issue fresh guidelines for providing the minimum standards of financial help to the families of Covid victims.

    A special bench of justices Ashok Bhushan and M R Shah said the court cannot direct the Centre to fix a particular amount of financial help, but the latter can fix the minimum standard of amount to be paid as ex-gratia to the families of Covid victims while keeping various aspects in mind.

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  • Poor COVID-19 victims: Goa announces Rs 2 lakh compensation

    By PTI
    PANAJI: The Goa government on Sunday announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of COVID-19 victims who were either breadwinners of the family or hailed from poor backgrounds.

    Making the announcement in his Statehood Day address, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also said another scheme, called ‘Mukhyamantri Anath Aadhar Yojana’, will be launched, under which orphaned children will get monthly financial aid.

    The age limit for inmates in childcare institutions has been raised to 21, he said, and orphans, irrespective of whether their parents succumbed to the coronavirus infection, who are in Class X will be provided free laptops by the state government.

    Sawant said his government was trying its best to tackle the outbreak and the positivity rate of the infection was steadily declining in the state.

    The second phase of the vaccination drive for those in the 18-44 age group will begin from June 3, the CM said.

    Couples with children below the age of two, people with comorbidities, rickshaw-taxi drivers, seafarers, differently-abled persons etc would be given priority in vaccination, Sawant informed in his address to the state.

    He thanked previous governments for their efforts that helped shape the progress of the state and also hailed the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for its help in the past seven years, and more significantly during the coronavirus outbreak.

    Announcing an administrative decision, the CM said some legal documents, which still carry ‘Goa, Daman and Diu’ will now just have the word Goa, and the state law department has been asked to do the needful.

    He also said panchayats in a financially weak position would be given a fund of Rs 50,000 to tackle damages from the recent cyclone or the COVID-19 outbreak, and the amount would be transferred by Monday or Tuesday.