Chhattisgarh: Officials said Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel issued a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday demanding that the Centre pay Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those who died as a result of the coronavirus infection. Earlier in the day, Congressman Rahul Gandhi demanded compensation and said the central government should submit “credible” evidence on COVID-19 fatalities. Baghel said in his letter to the PM that the central government has been collecting taxes from consumers by selling gasoline and diesel at high costs and assuring tax rebates to business allies while refusing relief to the general public.
In a detailed affidavit presented to the Supreme Court on September 11 this year, the Government of India declared that it would offer Rs 50,000 in compensation to each of the families of those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through the SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund). The Ministry of Home Affairs, on the other hand, had already announced that individuals who died as a result of the virus would be compensated with Rs 4 lakh each, according to the CM’s letter. In these times of crisis, the government should carry out its previous directive and compensate such families with Rs 4 lakh, he demanded.
The state government has agreed to pay its 25 percent portion of the overall compensation. He continued, “The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the majority of the country’s people.” Compensation of only Rs 50,000 is insufficient in such a tough period, he added.