Additional ₹50,000 aid for kin of Covid-19 victims in Delhi

An official of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), which issued an order to this effect on Wednesday, said the ex gratia amount will be released to all eligible families without seeking any application as their eligibility and payment credentials are already verified.

Over 20,000 people who lost a family member to Covid-19 and have already received ₹50,000 as ex gratia under the Mukhyamantri Covid-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojna, will now be given an additional ₹50,000 each under the Delhi Disaster Response Fund.

A link will be created on to enable applicants to submit their application. (Bloomberg)

An official of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), which issued an order to this effect on Wednesday, said the ex gratia amount will be released to all eligible families without seeking any application as their eligibility and payment credentials are already verified. In one week, the payment may be disbursed to their bank accounts, the official said.

Apart from that, any Delhi resident who loses or has lost a family member to Covid-19 and is yet to get any ex gratia can submit an application for ₹50,000 as assistance. Delhi now has two Covid compensation schemes -- one under the chief minister’s scheme and the other under Delhi Disaster Response Fund, each for a sum of ₹50,000.

“In compliance of a Supreme Court order if November 29, 2021, fresh guidelines have been issued for release of ex gratia from the Delhi Disaster Response Fund (DDRF) to the next of the kin of a person who died of Covid-19,” a DDMA official told Hindustan Times.

“Ex gratia assistance of ₹50,000 from DDRF will be released without calling for any fresh application in respect of all those cases in which compensation of ₹50,000 has been released by the districts under the Mukhyamantri Covid-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojna,” said a DDMA order issued on Wednesday.

“Applicants are required to apply directly to the district magistrate concerned for Covid-19 death related ex gratia assistance and DDMA will release fund directly to the beneficiary after verifying the eligibility and other necessary criteria,” the DDMA order said.

A link will be created on https://edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in/ to enable applicants to submit their application. The district magistrate offices will also accept hard copy applications from those applicants who are unable to apply on th e-district portal.

In June 2021, the Supreme Court directed the National Disaster Management Authority to recommend guidelines for ex gratia assistance to kin of those who lost their lives to Covid-19. The order came against petitions seeking directions to the Central and state governments to provide ex gratia compensation under the Disaster Management Act (DMA) for Covid deaths.

In December, the apex court sought information from the Delhi government and other states on the progress with regard to receiving applications and releasing payment under the scheme.

In its order, DDMA outlined the fresh guidelines for release of ex gratia assistance from the Delhi Disaster Response Fund to eligible families.

The guidelines say that for the purpose of considering a death as due to Covid 19, the person should have been diagnosed through a positive RT-PCR or other tests or clinically determined through investigations in a hospital or in-patient facility by a treating physician.

Deaths occurring within 30 days from the date of testing Covid-19 positive or from the date of being clinically determined as a Covid-19 case will be treated as deaths due to Covid-19 even if the death takes place outside the hospital or in-patient facility.

The patient who was admitted in the hospital and who continued to be admitted beyond 30 days and died subsequently of Covid-19 will also be treated as a Covid-19 death.

A family member of the deceased who died by suicide within 30 days of being diagnosed as Covid-19 positive will also be entitled to ex gratia assistance of ₹50,000.

An official, who did not want to be identified, said all claims will be settled within 30 days of submission of required documents and disbursed through Aadhaar linked direct benefit transfer procedure. “The central government contributes 75% to the Delhi Disaster Response Fund and the 25% is contributed by the Delhi government. It is a standing fund,” the official said.