The State government will pay an ex gratia amount of Rs 50,000 to the families of those whose deaths have been certified as Covid-19 fatalities.
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Odisha government has initiated the process to disburse ex-gratia to the families who lost their loved ones to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The State government will pay an ex gratia amount of Rs 50,000 to the families of those whose deaths have been certified as Covid-19 fatalities.
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The Union government had earlier informed the Supreme Court through an affidavit that the States and Union territories will disburse the compensatory sum towards the bereaved families who lost their loved ones to COVID-19.
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The next of kin of the persons who died due to COVID-19 can claim the ex-gratia assistance of Rs 50,000 to be provided by the State Government by submitting an application either in offline or online mode from 3 November, said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena.
The Rs 50,000 ex-gratia will be disbursed from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to the eligible next of kin of the persons who died due to COVID-19 in the State.
For expeditious payment of such ex-gratia assistance to the next of the kin of the deceased, an “App” software (https://caps.odisha.gov.in ) i.e CAPS (COVID-19 ex-gratia Assistance Payment System) has been developed by IT Department.
Collectors have to approve, sanction and disburse the ex-gratia in this software CAPS and the payment of such assistance will be made directly to NOK from the Collectors through Direct Benefit Transfer.
The coastal State had recorded a sharp spike in COVID-19 to the tune of almost 300% in three months beginning from June. However, there was large-scale under-reporting of deaths even though the cremation grounds were overwhelmed with bodies of patients who had succumbed to Covid-19. Facing widespread criticism from several quarters, the government was forced to conduct an audit of past deaths due to COVID. The death toll consequently shot up exponentially with the State adding around 6,000 deaths in the last four months starting from June following the death audit.
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