BENGALURU: The Karnataka government on Tuesday issued revised guidelines for enhanced payment of ex-gratia compensation for the families who lost a member to Covid-19 after Centre announced its component to be paid through State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
While Below Poverty Line (BPL) families will get Rs 1 lakh compensation under Karnataka’s Sandhya Suraksha Scheme (SSS), Rs 50,000 will be paid through the SDRF as per Central government guidelines on providing compensation to the families of the Covid-19 dead regardless of their economic status.
Now, BPL families can claim Rs 1,50,000 if that family has lost one person to Covid-19. In case two succumbed to the virus in one family, they can claim an amount of Rs 2,00,000, as the Central government’s component through SDRF allows to claim Rs 50,000 for each deceased family member.
According to the guidelines, to claim the compensation from the state’s SSS or the Centre-sponsored SDRF, the Covid deceased’s family should produce valid death certificate which states that the person has died due to Coronavirus.
To claim compensation under the state’s SSS, the victim should have been an earning member of the family and above 18 years of age. The family members must produce a medical certificate or a certificate issued by Covid-19 Death Ascertaining Committee.
Families who do not have death certificates or relevant documents, can approach the deputy commissioners in their respective districts while making their ex-gratia claims.
Earlier on Tuesday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had clarified that there would be no change in the government’s decision to provide Rs 1 lakh compensation under SSS to help poor families who have lost earning members to Covid-19.
Karnataka was among the first states in India to announce the compensations, but the state government faced criticism over the delay in payments.