FACT CHECK: Is Centre providing Rs 4L to families who lost kin to COVID?

This arrangement is allegedly being made under a provision of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

A document is attached to the claim. "Fill the form of common people who died due to COVID-19 and submit it to the DM office. The state government will give them a grant of Rs 4 lakh from the National Disaster Fund. Inform the relatives and friends around you so that the family can get some help in this disaster (sic)," reads the English translation of the claim.

FACT CHECK:

The Central government is not providing Rs 4 Lakh compensation to families who lost kin to COVID-19. The claim is false.

Initially, in 2020, the government said that it will treat COVID-19 as a notified disaster to provide assistance under SDRF and pay an ex-gratia for all COVID deaths. The notification also issued announcing monetary assistance on hospitalization costs for COVID-19 cases. Within hours, the government withdrew the notification.

According to the revised notification, the monetary benefit would be eligible for measures for quarantine, sample collection, and screening. The clause on ex-gratia and cost of hospitalization of all COVID-positive patients was deleted. (Source: Economic Times, The Print, Hindustan Times)

Department of Information & Publicity, Goa government, tweeted: "With respect to this issue and clarified that the form bearing the no 33-4/2020-NDM-I dated 14.3.2021 does not consider ex-gratia payment under SDRF guidelines for COVID Deaths".

The same was also clarified by the Press Information Bureau, "This claim is Fake. No such provision exists under the approved items and norms of expenditure for SDRF".

Although currently, the Supreme Court is considering issues regarding ex-gratia, as of now this is not applicable under SDRF. (Source: Times of India, First Post)

Evidently, the claim that the government is providing a compensation of 4 lakh rupees to families of those who died of COVID 19 is false.