Covid death payouts given to 2,216 applicants in Mumbai, says BMC

BMC on Monday said out of 35,138 applications received by it for compensation from relatives of patients who died due to Covid, a financial aid of Rs 50,000 each has been paid to 2,216 applicants.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday said out of 35,138 applications received by it for compensation from relatives of patients in the city who died due to COVID-19, financial aid of Rs 50,000 each has been paid to 2,216 applicants.

According to a BMC release, 35,138 applications have been received so far from relatives of deceased COVID-19 patients in Mumbai on the Maharashtra government's portal. Out of these, sanction for compensation has been approved for 21,436 applicants and in 2,216 cases, ex-gratia payment of Rs 50,000 each has been already released, the release said. "Out of the total, 12,871 applications have been rejected. Of these, 5,003 citizens have applied to the Grievances Redressal Committee (seeking review of BMC's rejection of their payout claims)," it stated. The release said a meeting of the Grievances Redressal Committee was held at Penguins Hall in the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale garden and zoo in the presence of Mayor Kishori Pednekar and other dignitaries. The committee approves or rejects claims for ex-gratia filed before it after verification of relevant documents. Of the 5,003 citizens who have approached the panel, 328 applicants presented their case for claims before the committee and of these, compensation was sanctioned for 273, the release said. The mayor has assured to pursue the remaining applications with the state government, it said. A total of 36 applications were rejected as COVID-19 patients on whose behalf payout was sought died outside Mumbai, while in case of 19 applicants all relevant papers were not submitted, the BMC said. These 19 applicants were asked to produce the required documents before the committee during its next meeting, the release said. The Maharashtra government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 each to the nearest kin of patients who have died due to COVID-19 in the state.