The government should provide ex-gratia monetary compensation to the deceased family members of Covid-19 patients, as provided under Sec 12 of the Disaster Management Act 2005. The medical officers are not conducting post-mortem of persons who are dying due to Covid-19. It is the right of the family members or relatives to know the real cause of death to avail compensation. Certificates should be issued to the deceased family members to establish that the death is due to Covid-19. But for Covid-19 deaths, bodies are being taken from the mortuary to the cremation ground directly without mentioning the actual reason in death certificates. As many families lost their members, despite all the efforts. Words of sympathy aren’t enough, as they’ve suffered irreparable losses. Now that Covid has hit lower middle class to lower-income group families in the country, it is necessary for everyone to remember at once whether they have paid an annual premium of Rs 330 or not.
If recently anyone died in the family of your close relative or acquaintance, whether it is due to any illness or Covid-19, ask them to check the bank account details of the deceased. If the bank has deducted Rs 12 or Rs 330 between 01 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 in their passbook entry, then underline it. And ask the relatives of the deceased to go to the bank and submit a claim for an insurance amount of up to Rs 2 lakh to be claimed within 90 days. In the year 2015, the Government of India had provided two affordable insurance schemes for savings account holders of most of the banks: First, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) for Rs 330 and second, Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSSBY) for Rs 12.
