Finance department fails to implement Rs 5000 financial assistance to BPL families of Covid victims, applicants waiting for eight months

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government's decision to give Rs 5,000 per month for three years to BPL families of Covid-19 victims, has been stuck in the finance department for eight months. This is the plight of the scheme in which Chief Minister assured that Rs 5,000 per month will be paid as a direct benefit transfer from CM's Disaster Relief Fund after receiving the application.

However, the Finance Ministry is prolonging the process. The CM had said that receiving Social Welfare or Welfare Fund or other pensions is not considered as an ineligibility for receiving the aid. He also instructed that no one should be called to the office to settle on the application.

The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting on October 13, 2021. Online applications were received from November 1. 6,000 applications of the total 20,000 were approved. But no one was paid. Several applications were rejected and some not included in list even after providing required documents.

The Land Revenue Commissionerate is in charge of coordination in the state and at the district level the Disaster Management Division of Collectorate is in charge.