Covid ex gratia eludes beneficiaries under Secunderabad Cantonment Board

HYDERABAD: The kin of the people who died of Covid are desperate for help from the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) but are unable to register for obtaining the official document for Covid-19 death (ODCD). The relief of Rs 50,000 is provided to only families which submit the ODCD along with the Covid positive report.

Officials say the situation persists as the Cantonment’s online service portal is not integrated with the state government’s application portal, Mee Seva. The government is accepting documents from the kin of the deceased on Mee Seva, based on which a committee chaired by the district collector approves the applications.

Due to this, the aggrieved families from the cantonment are forced to run between officers seeking immediate assistance. “I have been repeatedly meeting the public representatives and board officials since my mother succumbed to Covid 45 days ago. The Mee Seva portal does not have a drop-down option to select cantonment when trying to upload documents,” complained Devender Singh, a resident of Mahatma Gandhi Nagar.

As per health officials, 22 people died due to Covid-19 in the first wave of pandemic in 2020-21 while no Covid-related deaths were registered in 2021-22 in SCB limits.

B. Ajit Reddy, chief executive officer of the SCB, said the issue had been taken up by the board as delay in assistance could badly affect the beneficiaries. “We will see to it that the documents of all residents are accepted,” he added.

Vara Prasad, a health department official of the SCB, said a letter was sent to the health minister and the health commissioner requesting integration of applications from cantonment residents, and that it could take a few weeks to resolve.