The Maharashtra government on Friday announced financial aid of Rs 50,000 to kin or immediate relatives of people who lost their lives due to Covid-19 through a government relief (GR) issued on Friday.
The government plans to have a web portal which will enable the kin of the deceased to apply directly by providing documents using the Aadhaar verification process, stated officials.
“The testing of the web portal is almost complete and it would be made available for applicants in the coming week,” shared the official. As many as 1,40,891 people have died due to Covid-19 in the state according to the latest figures issued on November 27.
The order was expected earlier in the month as the National Disaster Management Authority had directed states to disburse the amount through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). The SDRF would have to allocate nearly Rs 750 crore towards the payment.
The government has also appointed committees in every district under the additional collector to take care of any grievance redressal. After the death certificate is provided the submission of the application can be made to any common facilitation centers or at ward offices as has been designated by the local authorities, stated officials.
The process has specified that the concerned families 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.
According to the guidelines, all claims must be settled within 30 days of submission of the required documents and disbursed through the Aadhaar-linked direct benefit transfer procedures
On September 3, the top court had expressed displeasure over the delay in framing guidelines for the issuance of death certificates to the families of those who died of Covid-19. The apex court had in its June 30 verdict directed the NDMA to recommend within six weeks the guidelines for ex gratia assistance on account of loss of life to the family members of persons who died due to Covid-19.
The funds will be paid by state governments, sourced from their respective disaster response funds, and will be channelled through the District Disaster Management Authority or the district administrations.
In a letter written in late October to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Corona Ekal Mahila Punarvasan Samiti (CEMPS), an NGO working for Covid-19 affected families in the state, sought at least Rs 2 lakh compensation for each family. Maharashtra Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat too had written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray seeking Rs 4 lakhs for the families who lost their members to Covid-19.