Order of the Supreme Court of India in the matter of Gaurav Kumar Bansal Vs Union of India & Others dated 04/10/2021.

The matter related to ex-gratia assistance on account of loss of life to the family members of the persons who died due to COVID-19. The Supreme Court, October 4, 2021 directed that the next of the kin of the deceased died due to Covid-19 shall be paid ex-gratia assistance of an amount of Rs.50,000/-, which shall be treated as ex-gratia payment under Section 12(iii) of the DMA, 2005 and which shall be minimum and which shall be over and above the compensation/amount to be paid by the Union of India/State Governments/Union Territories to be declared/provided under different benevolent schemes.

[2]

The ex-gratia assistance of Rs. 50,000/- shall be provided by the concerned states from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and that the ex-gratia assistance to the next of kin of the deceased shall be disbursed by the District Disaster Management Authority/District Administration, the SC order said.