Covid-19: 21,235 families in Delhi received ₹50,000 one-time financial aid, says AAP minister

Delhi’s social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said that the government had received 25,100 total applications for the ex-gratia amount.

As many as 21,235 families, in which a member has lost their life to Covid-19, have been provided with a one-time financial assistance of ₹50,000, Delhi’s social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said on Monday. He said that the government had received 25,100 total applications for the ex-gratia amount.

Delhi saw 56 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday and no new related deaths. (HT Photo | Representational image)

“A total of 25,100 applications have been received for a one-time financial aid of ₹50,000. So far, 21,235 families have been given the assistance,” Gautam said.

He also said that 9,484 applications have been approved for a monthly pension of ₹2,500. The government received 12,668 applications for the monthly scheme, he added. While 7,955 applicants had already started getting the pension, another 1,120 applications are pending the revenue department’s verification, the minister also said.

He also noted that close to 2,500 families had not availed the scheme due to various reasons and roughly 1,500 families are set to get the assistance soon, news agency PTI reported.

Earlier this year, the Delhi government introduced the "Mukhyamantri COVID-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojana", aimed at giving a one-time financial aid of ₹50,000 to the families of all that lost their lives to the coronavirus disease in the national capital. Also, a monthly assistance of ₹2,500 to those families that have lost their only breadwinner and for children orphaned due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Delhi saw 56 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday and no new related deaths as the total caseload reached 1,441,718 and the death toll remained at 25,100, a bulletin from the health department showed. The active caseload stood at 397 in the city.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that his government would introduce new restrictions in the city to check the spread of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant if the need arises. “We are ready to tackle the Omicron threat. If required, we will impose necessary restrictions. Currently, there is no such need to impose any restrictions,” news agency ANI quoted the chief minister as saying on Monday.