NEW Delhi: The Centre on Friday said that no profession-wise data is maintained on people who died due to COVID-19 in the country.
In a written reply to a Lok Sabha question on the number of ASHA workers and other healthcare and frontline workers who died during the COVID-19 period, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel said, “Disaggregated data on deaths due to COVID-19 by profession or otherwise is not maintained centrally.”
The minister also denied that the government proposes to give a ‘martyr’ status to those doctors and other healthcare workers who lost their lives due to COVID-19.
As of 3 February 2025, a total of 5,33,662 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the country. The deaths include ASHA workers and other healthcare and frontline workers.
She said the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) was implemented by the government for health workers fighting COVID-19 from 30 March 2020 to 15 October 2022 to provide an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh for comprehensive personal accident/life insurance cover to a total of around 22.12 lakh public healthcare providers, including community health workers, who were in direct contact and care of COVID-19 patients and were at risk of being impacted by this.
As per the claim settlement process, the payment is released to the deceased's beneficiary upon receipt of duly verified claim documents from the state/UT governments.
“Under the scheme, 2,545 claims (each at Rs 50 lakh) have been paid to the beneficiaries,” she said.
The highest number of COVID-19 deaths have been reported from Maharashtra till 3 February 2025.
Out of the total 5.3 lakh deaths, 1,48,602 were from Maharashtra alone. It is followed by Kerala (72,137), Karnataka (40,411), Tamil Nadu (38,086), Delhi (26,701), Uttar Pradesh (23,743), West Bengal (21,558), Punjab (20,600), Andhra Pradesh (14,733) and Chhattisgarh (14,205).