The Gujarat unit of the Congress on Monday demanded a compensation of Rs 4 lakh under provisions of the Disaster Management Act for the kin of each of the over 8,000 people who have died of Covid-19 in the last 13 months in the state.

Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said at a news conference that a drive is being launched to collect all the required information about the coronavirus victims who have died in the state.

According to government data, Covid-19 has claimed 8,394 lives till May 9 in Gujarat.

Chavda sought the disbursement of the compensation under Section 12 of the Disaster Management Act which provides for “ex gratia assistance on account of loss of life”.

“The Disaster Management Act has two components. One is about punishment for violation and another is regarding the welfare of the victims. But the government has completely ignored this second part. There were instances in the past when governments had paid compensation in cases of calamities and accidents,” claimed Chavda.

Stressing the need for such financial assistance, the Congress leader said many families have lost their sole earning member in this pandemic.

“We want the government to pay a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of these 8,000-plus victims as per the provisions of the Disaster Management Act. The Congress will collect data about these victims and hand it over to the government to speed up the disbursement process,” said Chavda.

Chavda alleged that rural areas, where 75 per cent of Gujarat’s population lives, are bereft of any facilities. He accused the state government of hiding the actual figures of deaths caused due to Covid-19.

Chavda was accompanied by Congress MLA Naushad Solanki, who represents Dasada seat in Surendranagar, at the news conference.

Solanki claimed that in Surendranagar district alone, where coronavirus infection is not that severe, as many as 3,580 people have died in the last 65 days for Covid-19 and other reasons.