Punjab CM Urges PM To Give ₹4 Lakh To Families Of Those Who Died Due To COVID

Abhishek Devadiga November 25, 2021

178 1 minute read

Charanjit Singh Channi Takes Oath As 16th Chief Minister Of Punjab

Mumbai: Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi has urged PM Narendra Modi to implement the Centre’s previous order to provide an ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh to the families of those who died of COVID-19.

Channi made the request in a letter to the PM on Wednesday and assured him that his government is ready to contribute its 25 percent to the scheme.

“Wrote letter to PM @narendramodi ji & urged him to implement his previous order of disbursing ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of those who died due to Covid19. I feel, mere Rs 50, 000 compensation is insufficient. My Govt. is ready to contribute our 25% share under this scheme,” Channi tweeted with the letter he wrote to the PM.

https://twitter.com/CHARANJITCHANNI/status/1463539021016035332?s=20

Later Channi was supported by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot. While Gehlot supported Gandhi by urging the PM to increase the compensation amount to Rs 4 lakh, Gandhi’s demand included the release of accurate data on deaths related to Covid-19.

In March 2020, the Government of India announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in Kovid-19. However, the compensation was reduced to Rs 50,000 in September 2021. The government had submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court detailing how it would create insufficient funds to tackle COVID-19.

The amount of the State Disaster Management fund is supposed to be divided between 4 PM. Channi also called this reduced amount of Rs 50,000 to be “insufficient.”