Bengaluru The Karnataka government on Thursday admitted that it is yet to release any compensation to the families of those who died due to Covid- 19 in the state.
The admission came after B Siramulu, Karnataka’s minister for transport and Schedule Tribe in the Lower House of the state legislature said that those who died of Covid have been given ₹1 lakh. The Congress jeered the statement forcing health minister DK Shivakumar to give out the details of compensation.
In in response, Sudhakar said that the money has been kept but there were “procedural delays” in disbursing them.
Former chief minister BS Yediyurappa also had to clarify the issue and calm the rising tempers in the House. “By mistake Sriramulu has said that we have disbursed money but we (government) have not been able to do so. The money has been released but is yet to be distributed,” Yediyurappa said, much to the embarrassment of Sriramulu who, until that point, kept defending that the money had been distributed.
Taking a dig at the government, Siddaramaiah, the former chief minister and Congress’ leader of the opposition said that the government had announced ₹300 crore for compensation but no money has been released so far. He said that only 24 persons who died due to oxygen shortage in Chamarajanagar district were paid ₹2 lakh each because of a court order.
The admission by the government comes at a time when the death toll in Karnataka continues to rise on account of the lingering virus and the impending third wave of infections.
{{/usCountry}}The admission by the government comes at a time when the death toll in Karnataka continues to rise on account of the lingering virus and the impending third wave of infections.
{{/usCountry}}A total of 37,683 persons have died due to Covid- 19 since March last year, including 15 on Thursday, according to the daily health bulletin of the state health department.
The government has been under pressure for its handling--or mishandling--of the pandemic and the problems it caused due to unscheduled lockdowns, shortage of hospital beds and life saving medicines, oxygen and even space to bury those who died due to the spike in deaths in the months between April and July this year.