Government To Give Rs 50,000 To Next Of Kin Of Those Who Lost Their Lives To Covid

Delhi, 7th December 2022: The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, said in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that the Government will provide Rs 50,000 to the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to COVID-19. He said in response to a written question that the amount is given to the COVID-19 victims following the guidelines issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the order of the Supreme Court.

He said that assistance is given to the next of kin of the deceased, including those involved in relief operations or preparatory activities. Assistance is provided by the State Disaster Response Fund after the cause of death is certified as Covid.

Rai said that to mitigate the hardships faced by the poor people due to economic disruption caused by Covid and to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on food security, the Government has decided to distribute additional free food grains (Rice/Wheat) in March 2020.

Around 80 crores of National Food Security Act (NFSA), Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), and Priority Household (PHH) beneficiaries are provided five kg of food grains per person per month under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.