States to provide Rs. 50,000 compensation for every COVID death: Centre to Supreme Court

The compensation will not only be given out for the deaths that have occurred already, but for future ones, too.

The funds will be sourced by the state governments from their respective disaster response funds, and will be channelled through the District Disaster Management Authority or the district administrations, the Centre said in an affidavit filed before with the Supreme Court.

India has recorded over 4.45 lakh Covid-related deaths since the pandemic broke out in January 2020.

Some states, such as Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, have already announced compensation for the families of Covid victims.

"The ex gratia assistance...will continue to be provided for deaths that may occur in the future phases of the COVID-19 pandemic as well, or until further notification," the Centre's affidavit said.

"Compensation will be given to families of even those deceased who were involved in Covid relief operations or associated in preparedness activities...The cause of death needs to be certified as COVID-19 in accordance with Health Ministry guidelines," it added.

The concerned families will  be required to submit their claims through a form issued by the state authorities along with proofs such as death certificates mentioning the cause.