New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Tuesday directed the Centre to consider as a representation a PIL seeking to extend the ex-gratia assistance to the family members of Indian citizens who died abroad due to COVID-19.
A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to decide the representation as expeditiously as possible in accordance with the law, rules, regulations and government policy applicable to the case and disposed of the petition.
Advocate M P Srivignesh, representing petitioner trust Pravasi legal Cell, urged the court to direct the authorities to decide his pending representation of July 5 on the issue.
The plea sought to direct the Indian missions abroad to collect and maintain proper data of those Indian citizens died abroad due to COVID-19 and to also include the children who have lost both parents or surviving parent or legal guardian/adoptive parents due to the virus abroad but who are Indian Citizens under the ‘PM-CARES for Children scheme’.
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