Karnataka: 75 days on, no Covid aid of Rs 1 lakh to BPL families yet
It has been 75 days after the BJP govt in Karnataka declared a compensation of Rs one lakh to BPL households that lost a member to Covid-19, but not a single person has been given a rupee till now.
BENGALURU: On July 18, the BJP government in Karnataka passed an order to pay a Rs 1-lakh compensation to BPL families that lost one member to Covid-19, according to The Hindu.
Till now, not even a single paise has been compensated to the low-income families.
While the state affirmed it is bound to fulfil its promise, sources flagged several issues that lacked clarity.
Covid deaths in Karnataka
Karnataka had 37,261 deaths since the pandemic in March 2020, and 4,228 casualties have been recorded since the announcement of the compensation.
TOI quoted Clifton Rozario, an advocate, as saying, “The government failed to provide sufficient beds, oxygen, etc., and having failed to prevent deaths, the least it can do is to provide compensation which is announced. But there has been such procrastination on the part of the government.”
The victims’ families are wondering why they haven’t received the compensation that the government announced.
Tracing the Kin is becoming difficult
The state revenue secretary Tushar Girinat said they must first classify a deceased person’s bank account.
He added, “While the government is determined on this issue, there is a double problem. They were first identifying the next of kin. In cases where the breadwinner died, we need to identify if there is an alternative bank account. Second, many may not have got a patient list number [P-number]. These names have to be verified and added to the list.”
Hubli-Dharwad DC Nitesh Patil reported told a web portal is in a trial stage and will be launched soon.
He added, “Our tahsildars have records of people who need to be compensated. Once the names are uploaded, it is a matter of minutes to transfer sums to beneficiaries’ accounts directly,”
J Manjunath, DC, Bengaluru Urban, said, “Most have been identified, but the survey is still on in some pockets.” He added around 750 families had been identified in Rajarajeshwarinagar for compensation.
