Govt releases Rs 1-cr aid each for kin of 11 Covid warriors

The Delhi Government has disbursed ex gratia relief of Rs 1 crore each to the families of 11 government employees who lost their lives while serving during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta handed over the cheques at a ceremony held at the Delhi Secretariat, calling the gesture not just financial aid but a heartfelt expression of gratitude and tribute to their service.

At the event, the Chief Minister said, “The courage and selfless service of these brave individuals will forever remain etched in our hearts and inspire future generations with lessons of duty, compassion, and devotion.”

Acknowledging that no financial assistance could ever compensate for the loss of life, Gupta said it was the moral responsibility of the government to extend every possible support to the families of those who served during the pandemic.

“It is a matter of pride that these families have now received their due with dignity,” she added.

The beneficiaries include V Nangthanlian, Department of Trade and Taxes; Raj Bala Garg, Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital; Babita, Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Ayurved Charak Sansthan (CBPACS); Rohan Joshi, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD); Dr Ravinder Kumar Goel, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS); Aniyamma Reji, Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC); Biswajit Das, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC); Rajesh Kumar, Department of Education; Dr Naveen Ram, Border Security Force (BSF); Dr Vijay Singh Rajan, (BSF); and Arun Sood, Directorate of Health Services (DHS).

Additionally, the government has also removed the eligibility restriction set by the previous AAP administration, which had limited Covid-19 death cases eligible for compensation to those occurring before December 2023.

Under the revised policy, families can now apply for relief at any time, provided they can establish that their loved one’s death occurred during the pandemic period.

The compensation of two senior Border Security Force officers — Dr Naveen Ram, former IG/Director (Medical), and Dr Vijay Singh Rajan, former Commandant (Medical), — had earlier been denied by the previous government on the grounds that they were Central Government employees.

Sources said after the BJP Government assumed office, the Chief Minister constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to review pending Covid-related relief cases. Acting on the Chief Minister’s recommendation, the GoM approved the inclusion of these two BSF officers, noting that both had died in Delhi while overseeing medical arrangements during the pandemic.

According to sources, this is the first phase of the compensation disbursal, and several more cases are currently under examination. Relief will be provided to eligible families once the verification process is completed.