New Delhi, Sep 22: The government of India has recommended the states to pay ₹50,000 to the families of those who died due to COVID-19. The payout will be made through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), the central government told the Supreme Court.
Last month, the Supreme Court of India had ordered the Indian government to compensate the kins of people who lost their lives battling COVID-19. It had also instructed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister of India to frame the guidelines on the ex-gratia compensation.
The order was passed by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan issued the order in response to a plea seeking ₹4 lakh each to families of those who succumbed to the virus.
However, the central government had its own reservation about offering such a compensation earlier. In an affidavit submitted to the court in July, the government noted that the state governments too cannot afford to pay such compensation due to limited capital.
The central government claimed that if the state governments start to pay ₹4 lakh to the families of those who succumbed to COVID-19, it may consume the entire amount of the state disaster relief fund (SDRF). This, in turn, would leave them with less capital to deal with COVID-19.
Though the Supreme Court took the government’s argument into account, it also mentioned, “No country or state has unlimited resources. Dispensation of the same is based on a number of circumstances and facts. Therefore, we don’t think it is proper to direct the Union to pay a particular amount. This is to be fixed by the [union] government. Ultimately, the priorities are also to be fixed by the government.”
