Panvel MLA Prashant Thakur Raises Stink, Yet Again, Over Delayed Payment Of COVID Assistance

Panvel MLA Prashant Thakur raised the issue of delayed financial assistance of Rs. 50,000 to the families of individuals who lost their lives due to COVID-19 in the state during the monsoon session of the assembly. Thakur highlighted that around 8,542 pending applications for the grant have been pending over two years. He sought clarification on the actions taken to promptly disburse the assistance to the affected families.

In response, State Minister for Rehabilitation and Disaster Management, Anil Parab, stated that a total of Rs 10,48,76,000 has been allocated under the COVID-19 scheme to support around 2,09,753 eligible applicants who have lost their loved ones to the disease. However, due to discrepancies in bank account details for approximately 8,173 applicants, the funds have not been disbursed by the banks.

Assistance wasn't disbursed due to discrepancies in bank details: Min

Now, the District Disaster Management Authority will contact such applicants to get accurate bank account details to facilitate the transfer. “Once the correct details are obtained, the process of disbursing the financial assistance will commence,” said Anil Parab.

MLA Prashant Thakur urged the government to expedite the process and provide immediate financial relief to the affected families who have been waiting for support for two years.