Maharashtra govt to give Rs 50,000 ex-gratia to kin of COVID-19 victims

Maharashtra Government on Friday announced financial aid of Rs 50,000 to kins or immediate relatives of people who lost their lives due to COVID-19.

As many as 1,40,857 people have died due to COVID-19 in the state, while the active caseload was reported to be 12,852, as per data shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday.

Several states have already announced similar compensation to the families of COVID-19 victims. In October, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had asked the concerned authorities to pay Rs 50,000 as compensation to the families of the people who lost their lives to COVID-19 in the state in the past 1.5 years. The CM further asked the officials to ensure that each family receives their entitlement and no eligible family is left behind. 

Similarly, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced in May that Rs 50,000 ex gratia will be given to each family in the national capital that has had a COVID death.

Notably, ever since the pandemic first hit in March 2020, COVID-19 has claimed a lot of lives across India. During the second wave of the pandemic, the death toll rose alarmingly, leaving behind families with no breadwinners to fend for them.