India News | COVID-19 Death Compensation: Multiple Kin Have Filed Claims in Several Cases, Says Maha Official

Mumbai, Sep 19 (PTI) More than 2,000 claims for COVID-19 death compensation are under the scanner in Maharashtra due to multiple kin getting money, a senior official said on Monday.

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The Supreme Court had last year asked state governments to provide Rs 50,000 to the kin of people who died of COVID-19 and related complications.

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The exercise of finding out duplication in the process and taking remedial measures, including contacting people who have got undue benefit, started on September 1 across the state, Sanjay Daundkar, Deputy Secretary of the Maharashtra Relief and Rehabilitation Department told PTI.

The state government has found several instances where more than one kin submitted compensation claims, and payments were made as the documents submitted were genuine.

"However, when the relief and rehabilitation department sought such data from banks in the state, it found relatives have tried to take undue benefit of government's scheme. In reality, there are around 1,000 victims whose relatives have filed multiple claims. We will be recovering money from either of the kin," Daundkar said.

Some of these persons have admitted to indulging in this and have shown willingness to return the money, he added.

The Maharashtra government has so far awarded Rs 900 crore as compensation to kin of deceased persons, the official said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)