THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ex gratia assistance of Rs 50,000 announced by Central government to the families of Covid victims reached the accounts of 95 percent of the applicants.

Out of 66,939 applications received in the state, 64,391 were approved. 63,643 people also received the amount. The remaining 1294 people whose applications have been approved will receive the amount soon.

As per government records, 70,252 Covid deaths have been reported. 3313 people are yet to apply for the financial assistance. The amount will be available within two weeks of submission. Apply through the portal https://relief.kerala.gov.in/. Application must be submitted within three months of death. After three months, appeals citing reason for delay can be filed in Collectorates. If the reason seems valid, then the assistance will be approved.

The financial aid distribution has sped up with the intervention of the Supreme Court. Only 40 percent of deaths reported till December had applied for financial assistance.

On January 27, the Supreme Court asked the government to dispose of the pending applications within two days. As a result, camps were organized on taluk basis and the village officers had approached the eligible people and collected the applications. The government has given Rs 315 crore as financial aid in this regard.