BHOPAL: A decision taken in the corona pandemic has begun to weigh upon the government. At a meeting with BJP legislators on May 20, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced that the relatives of those who had lost their lives to Covid-19 would be given Rs 100,000. Now, the government is unable to decide who should get that amount.
According to the government records, 7,950 people have, so far, died of Covid-19 in the state. Contrary to it, the number of people dying from the Covid-19 is much higher than the government records show.
The death certificates issued by the civic bodies and panchayats are higher than the governmentís statistics. The governmentís problem is to find out eligible people for giving the financial aid.
According to the government records, the first wave of the pandemic consumed 3,800 lives. It has, however, not been decided whether the relatives of those 3,800 people should be brought under the scheme for financial aid.
Another problem is the records of death in the second wave of the pandemic. The government records show that more than 4,000 people have lost their lives to Covid-19 in its second wave. The governmentís records contradict the fact.
If the government gives financial aid under the scheme to the family members of those who have lost their lives, the allegations of MPCC president Kamal Nath about the number of deaths will be proved correct.
Giving such a huge amount of money to the sufferers will disturb the governmentís budget. The administration of the cash-strapped state cannot afford to arrange for such a huge amount of money. If the financial aid is given only to those who have lost their lives according to the government statistics, there will be major resentment among the others who, too, have lost their family members to the virus.
No sooner has the number of cases begun to reduce than the family members of those who died from Covid-19 have begun to enquire about the financial aid. Many people have begun to move around the civic bodies, hospitals and government offices for getting death certificates and other documents of their near and dear ones whom they have lost. According to a collector of a district, a large number of people have begun to enquire about the financial aid. People visiting the collectorate want that, in the certificate, it should be written that the person concerned died of Covid-19.
Nath appealed to the government again that it should make the figures of death public. Deaths from Covid-19 should be based on the records of the last rites of the bodies performed in the cremation grounds, as well as in the burial grounds. He said the government should give financial aid worth Rs 500,000.
Kin of those who lost their lives within 60 days of Covid-19 infection should get aid
According to the CMís Corona Compassion Scheme, relatives of those who lost their lives within 60 days of the infection will be given financial aid. Whatever the reason for death, it will be treated as death due to post-Covid complications. Those who have lost their lives due to heart ailments after being found to be Covid-19 negative may also get the benefit of the scheme.
Issue has not come to GADís knowledge: ACS
Additional chief secretary of the general administration department, Vinod Kumar, has said that the matter of giving Rs 100,000 to those who have died of Covid-19 has not come to the knowledge of his department. He further said that either the revenue department or the health department would be able to throw light on the matter.
