The Odisha Government has initiated the process of payment of compensation to the next of kin of people who died of COVID-19 through a special application platform.
Special Relief Commissioner P.K. Jena said as per the Supreme Court order, the Government has authorised the Collectors to disburse ₹50,000 from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to the eligible.
As of now 10,42,100 persons have been affected by the virus while 8,340 of them have succumbed to the disease in Odisha.
“To make quick payment of such assistance, a software — CAPS (COVID-19 Assistance Payment System) — has been developed by the IT Department. The Collectors will approve, sanction and disburse it in this software and the payment will be made directly to the kin through direct benefit transfer mode,” said Mr. Jena in a letter to all Collectors.
The Government has announced that people would have to apply from November 3 either in offline (physically or through post) or online (https://caps.odisha.gov.in) through a prescribed application format with COVID-19 death certificate and other requisite documents,” he said.
Tahsildars have been asked to verify and identify the kin and their bank account. They will upload the name and account details along with the scanned copy of the revenue inspector’s report in the CAPS.
A nodal officer would be earmarked at the Collector’s office to deal with this matter. The SRC has asked the Collectors to complete payment in 30 days.