Picture Credit: PIxabay
Karnataka
No, Government Is Not Giving Rs 4 Lakh Compensation To Families Of Those Who Died From Coronavirus
|Netizens are sharing a post that contains an application form and letter from the Department of Disaster Management, claiming the kin of the person who lost his/her life from Coronavirus is entitled to get Rs 4 lakh as compensation.
About three and a half lakh deaths have occurred in the country due to the Coronavirus disease, till June 7. In such a situation, a post is viral on social media in which it is being claimed that under the Disaster Management Act and the Epidemic Act, the kin of the person who lost his/her/their life from Coronavirus is entitled to get Rs 4 lakh as compensation.
The viral posts also contain an application format and a purported letter from the Department of Disaster Management, Union Home Ministry. It can be seen in this application form that after filling in the details of the victim in it, one has to send an application for interim assistance in the name of the District Magistrate/Chairman, District Disaster Management Authority.
A circular of the Disaster Management Department of the Union Home Ministry is also attached in the viral post, according to which it was issued on 14 March 2020. It has been said that the government will Rs 4 lakh under the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) as help to the families of those who died of Coronavirus. It is also said that the same amount of assistance will be given from the government even on the death of the employees engaged in the Corona relief operation. People are accepting this claim as true and are also sharing it indiscriminately. This post is being widely shared on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.
Claim:
The government is giving 4 lakh compensation to the kins of those who lost the lives of their relatives to the Coronavirus disease.
Fact Check:
On searching with the help of some keywords, we found a tweet by news agency ANI dated March 14, 2020, which quoted the Union Home Ministry as saying that if someone dies due to Coronavirus, then his family members will be given Rs 4 lakh as compensation.
But a few hours later, on the same day, ANI made another tweet in which this circular of the Union Home Ministry was modified. In this, the provision of compensation to the families of those who die due to Coronavirus was removed. In this, there was mention of treatment, isolation and other facilities for the victims, but the line of ex gratia or compensation was removed.
Now when this post started going viral on social media, on 29 May 2021, the Press Information Bureau also denied it, saying that no such compensation is being given under the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) in case of death due to Coronavirus disease.
However, in many reports, it has been said that a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court for compensation of Rs 4 lakh. The matter is pending in the court, and the next hearing is on June 11, 2021.
Conclusion:
The announcement of giving compensation of 4 lakhs to the kin of the deceased in case of death due to coronavirus was made in March 2020, but this decision was withdrawn on the same day. Hence, the viral claim is false.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
Also Read: Fake Contacts For Procuring 2-DG Covid Drug Viral On Social Media