AP Govt to expedite payment of ex-gratia for sunstroke victims

Hyderabad, June 20 : The Andhra Pradesh Government on Friday informed that Rs 1.64 crore has been released to the District Collectors from Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF) towards payment of ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh each to the families of those killed due to sunstroke in the State.

As many as 371 sunstroke deaths have been reported in Andhra Pradesh so far. Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh and asked District Collectors to process Apathbandhu proposals for payment of Rs. 50,000 to the victims’ family. Further proposal is moved for release of CMRF funds for balance cases, according to the Disaster Management Department.

The Government had issued instructions to all the District Collectors and line departments i.e., Medical and Health, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, RWS and Irrigation department for preparedness during the summer season 2014 to mitigate the sunstroke deaths and drinking water problem. Basing on the experience of large number of deaths due to heat wave conditions, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has taken up the issue with Joint Secretary(DM), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India to consider the payment of relief to the victims of sunstroke due to heat wave @ Rs. 1.5 lakh under SDRF funds as the same is not permissible at present. Rs. 50,000/- is being paid under Apathbandhu scheme.

The Department has claimed that all District Collectors are ensuring the availability of ORS, Glucose and Pot chorine (Potassium chloride) in the hospitals through Medical department, opened chalivendrums, created awareness in to villages by tom to and declared holidays to the schools to prevent sun stroke to the students where heat wave conditions are severe.  INN