Bolangir: The Odisha Covid-19 dashboard informs that so far 23,070 persons in Bolangir district have tested positive for the virus. It also points out 22,898 persons have recovered while 87 have succumbed to the disease.
However, there are doubts regarding the exact number of fatalities. It has led to controversies in various quarters in the district.
It has been alleged that the district administration and the Odisha government are fudging Covid-19 data and concealing the actual number of Covid-related deaths in the district.
The enlistment of orphaned children due to both or one of the parents succumbing to Covid-19, in the ‘Ashirvad Yojana’ has suddenly put the spotlight on Covid19 deaths in the district. Over 2,733 children have applied for financial assistance in ‘Ashirvad Yojana’.
The applicants have lost either both parents or one. However, the actual reason for the deaths is not available. Hence officials are at a loss to tackle the situation.
Many feel that in the process, children actually orphaned due to Covid-19 will be deprived of their financial benefits.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that financial assistance will be provided to the children orphaned due to Covid-19 much before the Odisha government had launched the ‘Ashirvad Yojana’.
It has been alleged that many children are being deprived of the benefits due to lack of proper certificates mentioning the cause of death as Covid-19.
The Odisha government launched the scheme in April 2020 to provide financial assistance to orphaned children. Now with so many applications submitted in Bolangir district, a huge controversy is raging over the number of deaths due to Covid19.
Many said that the number of applicants prove that there has been a much higher fatality rate than the 87 reported. The district reported its first Covid-19 positive case in May 2020.
Later, many more persons tested positive for the virus and were admitted to the hospital for treatment. Many of them recovered but a substantial number succumbed to the virus.
It has been alleged that in many cases the authorities have not mentioned Covid-19 as the cause of death in the certificates. This has been done with the intention of fudging facts, many people in the know of things, said.
PNN
