The government of Odisha would soon issue an SOP to compensate the next of kin of those who died by suicide or by accident within 30 days of testing positive for Covid-19, officials said today.
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik. (File photo)
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While interacting with media persons in Bhubaneshwar, Director of Medical Education and Training, CBK Mohanty, said as per the Supreme Court order, an SOP will soon be presented by the state government to include kin of those who died by suicide or by accident within 30 days of testing positive for the virus. They will be provided with ₹50,000 as compensation.
Earlier, the Centre, in an affidavit filed before with the Supreme Court, said the compensation will be paid by the state governments from their respective disaster response funds and will be channelised through the District Disaster Management Authority or the district administrations.
The families will have to submit their claims through a form issued by the state authorities along with specified documents, including those certifying the cause of death.
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As per the official records, 8187 people in the state have so far succumbed to Covid-19. However, NGOs working in the health sector believe otherwise as Odisha registered around 20,000-odd excess deaths in 2020 as compared to 2019 which they allege may possibly have been caused due to Covid-19. The NGO leaders say there may have been more deaths this year as the second wave of Covid-19 was more fatal as compared to last year.
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As per the official records, 8187 people in the state have so far succumbed to Covid-19. However, NGOs working in the health sector believe otherwise as Odisha registered around 20,000-odd excess deaths in 2020 as compared to 2019 which they allege may possibly have been caused due to Covid-19. The NGO leaders say there may have been more deaths this year as the second wave of Covid-19 was more fatal as compared to last year.
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.
