Compensate kin of Covid victims

I am not sure that the Supreme Court has taken into consideration the various aspects surrounding Covid deaths while directing NDMA to come out with a policy for compensating these deaths.

♦    The pandemic affected the entire nation, though in different proportion, the states and UTs.

♦    Many sought treatments at private hospitals resulting in huge medical bills.

♦    Autopsy/ post-mortem was not included in the protocol which could have defined these deaths. Almost all deaths have been routinely classified as Covid deaths.

♦    The number of regular deaths due to health issues, accidents and others like suicides and murders were not revealed.

♦    The states and UTs also had their own ways of classifying and identifying the deaths. There was a huge mess up in reporting deaths in the state level.

♦    Many Covid infected were disowned by their kith and kin either during the hospitalisation or after death. Invariable the valiant frontline workers took upon the task of performing the final rites.

♦    The question of identifying the legal heirs is going to be a gargantuan problem for the governments and a racket may come up in the offing.

♦    We should not forget the fact that in spite of governments repeated appeals through every kind of medium to adhere to strict Covid protocol, a good number of people went around violating all kinds of norms ensuring swift spread of Covid infections. Are they not answerable for their contribution to Covid deaths? We have seen massive crowd in markets with no concern for Covid.

Let us formulate a sensible policy involving all the stake holders and a suitable set of guidelines for such situations be formed. Even the Parliament can discuss and enact a suitable law in consultation with the Supreme court.

J Kannan, Hyderabad

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As of now, we know nearly four lakh people died (official figures)for no fault of theirs with the spread of first and second-wave pandemic quite unexpected and these innocent people are victims of the Covid-19.

The government should understand as they are saying it will not come under natural disaster but in reality, the biological pandemic also comes under natural disaster as it has devastated life and no one ever visualised its intensity.

The Supreme Court on June 30 further directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to issue fresh guidelines for providing a minimum standard of financial help to families of those who lost their lives due to Covid-19.

The State and central governments should realise the loss of the individuals in their families and it's the duty of the governments, to safeguard their families if not paid the lump sum and it can be paid by both and central governments in four instalments. Let's hope due justification will be done as per the court directions.

Kanagiri SN Prasad, Hyderabad

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This refers to 'SC orders govt to frame fresh norms '(THI July 1). The Central government must ponder over the plight of the families of Covid victims to extend fiscal relief and succour to the bereaved families. They have been suffering excruciating fiscal crisis since they lost their bread winners.

The bereaved and penury stricken families have been finding it difficult and cumbersome to survive. The Centre must decide and speed up to initiate to provide pecuniary aid to the Covid victims at the earliest. It will be great and noble initiative and rare gesture at the hands of the Central government.

Zubair Khan, Hyderabad