MP govt wants Rs 10 lakh each for 1,500 Bhopal victims
The Madhya Pradesh government has demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each from the Centre’s Group of Ministers (GoM) for the kin of 15,342 people who died in the Bhopal gas tragedy as per the revised death figures in the ICMR report.
A decision on this was taken in the quarterly review meeting of the Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department on Monday chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, official sources said on Tuesday.
For this purpose, representatives of the gas victims will be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi soon.
“At present enhanced death compensation has been awarded to 5,295 deceased of the tragedy while we have demanded that it should be given to 15,342 people who died so far because of the ill-effects of the poisonous gas leak as stated in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report,” said State Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Minister, Babulal Gaur.
Chouhan said the state government was backing demands of gas-affected people and was also making efforts for their rights.
The meeting was also informed that a new action plan worth Rs 272.75 crore has been sanctioned by the Union Government.
During next three years, Rs 33.55 crore for medical rehabilitation, Rs 104 crore for economic rehabilitation, Rs 85.20 crore for social rehabilitation and Rs 50 crore will be made available for drinking water arrangements in the gas-affected areas, they said. Besides, Rs 94.69 crore has been spent as per the action plan so far.
Informing about the decisions of the GoM, the meeting was told that compensation worth Rs 10 lakh each will be provided to the kin 5,295 deceased people, Rs five lakh each to 4,944 who suffered permanent disability and whose working capacity has reduced, official sources said. Rs two lakh each will be given to 3,000 kidney and cancer patients and Rs one lakh each to 34,455 people who suffered temporary disability.
The assistance will be made available to total 48,694 gas-affected people.
