NEW DELHI: The AAP government on Thursday issued fresh guidelines for the one-time ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 each from the Delhi Disaster Response Fund (DDRF) to the families of the COVID deceased. This is in addition to the financial aid of an equal amount provided by the city government, officials said.
About 21,000 families already received a financial aid of Rs 50,000 under 'Mukhyamantri COVID Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojana' scheme. The same scheme is also providing a monthly assistance of Rs 2,500 to households that lost their sole breadwinner and to children orphaned due to COVID.
While the ex-gratia was notified in June last year, the Supreme Court had ordered in October that no state shall deny this benefit on the ground that 'cause of death' listed in the death certificate is not COVID.
All districts were directed to maintain a separate database in respect of ex gratia assistance released from the DDRF, the government order said. A separate window under the e-district portal will be made available for this purpose.
Those who are diagnosed through a positive RT-PCR molecular tests/RAT or clinically determined through investigations in a hospital/ in-patient facility shall be eligible for the ex-gratia assistance. The death, if occurs within 30 days from tests conducted or being clinically declared as a COVID-19 case, will also be eligible for this aid, even if the death takes place outside the hospital or at an in-patient facility/setup.
COVID patients who have died either in a hospital setup or at home and where a medical certificate of cause of death in form 4 and 4A has been issued in the registering authority as required under the Registration of Birth and Death Act shall also be treated as COVID death and shall be eligible, read the order.