The Congress, which is a part of the ruling coalition government in Jharkhand, attacked the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday for backtracking on its commitment to provide Rs 4 lakh compensation the next of kin of Covid victims and wrote to chief minister Hemant Soren to ensure the state shells out Rs 1 lakh of that amount.

State rural development minister Alamgir Alam, who addressed a press conference with state Congress president Rajesh Thakur, said, “In March 2020, the government of India enforced the Disaster Management Act (DMA) and promised Rs 4 lakh to kin/family of those who died of Covid-19. But recently, it did a U-turn by giving an affidavit in Supreme Court that it can only provide Rs 50,000."

As per the state health records, close to 5,000 people have succumbed to Covid in Jharkhand since the outbreak of infections in March last year.

The duo added that the state's coalition government would bear 25 per cent share and demanded that the Centre could at least provide Rs 3 lakh as compensation. “Under DMA, there is a clear provision of Rs 4 lakh compensation to those who die due to mishaps notified under it. Since DMA and the Epidemic Act have been enforced in the country because of the pandemic, the Centre is bound to pay Rs 4 lakh. But it is running away from its responsibility. We have written to the chief minister to grant Rs 1 lakh, which is 25 per cent of Rs 4 lakh, compensation. The Centre must give the remaining Rs 3 lakh to all sufferers immediately,” Alam said.

Asked if the state coalition government would consider providing Rs 1 lakh to the kin of Covid casualties in Jharkhand even if the Centre remained non-committal, Thakur said, "Our government is trying to work out the modalities and provide some decent fiscal help.”