Central missive of revoking DMA from March 31 may adversely impact those waiting for ex gratia of Rs 50000 against Covid deaths
The union Government will not entertain any request from the the family of the victims of Covid 19 pandemic who’d succumbed to this dreaded disease regarding financial compensation of Rs. 50 thousand from March 31st thus cancelling Disaster Management Act which was implemented after the inception of the pandemic all over India two years ago.
This action of the central government not to treat Covid 19 as disaster from March 31 st may also ammount to abolish the facility of Rs Fifty thousand compensation, though quite meagre, thus negatively impacting thousands of bereaved family members who had lost their near and dear ones, sons n daughters or senior citizens, especially the earning members of the family, during critical Covid times.
The lower middle class is the hardest hit by this decision. There had been several complaints earlier about fake claims of compensation in various states misusing the scheme resulting in the intervention by the honourable Supreme Court.
After the issuance of this central missive to revoke the DMA from March 31st, the people of various states will now have to depend on the mercy of various state governments n UTs depending whether the states will continue the financial compensation scheme of disbursing Rs 50000 to the next of the kin of those died due to Covid 19 or will revoke it as done by the centre.
What is interesting about this central decision is the fact that the order arrived just a day after the Supreme Court’s decision giving a sixty day window to register claims for ex gratia for any deaths before 20 th March.
This central missive revoking the DMA ( Disaster Management Act) imposed for the last two years will cease to exist from March 31 in terms on restrictions on Covid 29 protocols though depending on various state governments to take their own course of action, not binding on the states, which includes the ex gratia of Rs 50,000.
The government of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra however, has said that they are continuing with the scheme of paying the ex gratia of Rs. 50000 to the deceased of Covid 19, though Maharashtra government waiting for the centre’s clarity on this issue.
It may be recalled that during the last two years of challenging and critical Covid 19 period over 5.21 lakh died with Maharashtra leading ahead with 1.48 lakh deaths, followed by 67,797 Kerala, 40,050 Karnataka, Tamilnadu 38,025 and Andra Pradesh 14,730.
The largest state of the country Uttar Pradesh had the total death numbers due to Covid as 23,495.
There were 26,151 Covid 19 deaths in the national capital.
According to sources several states n union territories are continuing with the ex gratia compensation scheme to the next of the kin of those died during Covid 19 but some are waiting for the supreme Court’s directives as well as the central government’s directions to them.
