Odisha Congress Demands Rs 4 Lakh Ex-Gratia Each For Covid Victims' Families

The Odisha Congress on Sunday demanded compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families that have lost at least a member to Covid-19.

Addressing a presser, Odisha Congress vice-president Debashis Pattnaik claimed that around 3 lakh persons have succumbed to the virus during the pandemic but the actual numbers have not been revealed.

In Odisha also, the actual number of deaths has not been reported and hence, the State government should carry out a survey for the same to accordingly provide the compensation amount, urged Pattnaik.

Though the Centre announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 after Supreme Court rapped it for failing to help the families of the victims, it's not enough, he said.

"Our leader Rahul Gandhi has initiated a campaign to force the Modi government to pay a compensation of at least Rs 4 lakh each to families of Covid victims. We also urge the State government to put this demand before the Centre," said the senior Congress leader.

Recently, the AICC launched a "Covid justice campaign" with its chief Rahul Gandhi sharing a video of the affected families on Twitter and demanding a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for every household that has lost at least a member to Covid-19.

A day after the launch, Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh had said that a commission to ascertain the actual number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the country should be set up soon.

He also demanded the establishment of a COVID-19 compensation fund with a promise to pay Rs 4 lakh each to the victims' families.