AMN
The Centre informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday that National Disaster Management Authority has reccommended ex gratia Rs 50,000 to be given to kin of those who died due to Covid-19. The Centre further said that ex gratia will be provided from State Disaster Response Fund(SDRF) and subject to the cause of death being certified as Covid-19.
The ex gratia assistance will continue to be provided for deaths that may occur in the future phases of the COVID-19 pandemic as well, or until further notification, the affidavit said. Compensation will be given to families of even those deceased who were involved in Covid relief operations or associated in preparedness activities. The cause of death needs to be certified as COVID-19 in accordance with Health Ministry guidelines.
The concerned families will submit their claims through a form issued by the state authorities along with specified documents, including those certifying the cause of death. The district disaster management authorities will ensure that the process of claim, verification, sanction, and disbursal is simple, robust, and people-friendly.
All claims must be settled within 30 days of submission of the required documents, and disbursed through the Aadhaar-linked direct benefit transfer procedures, the Centre’s affidavit said.