The CPI’s Secretary of State K. Ramakrishna accused the state government of hiding the deaths caused by coronavirus infection and on Tuesday called for the publication of a white paper on the actual number of deaths.
Quoting the numbers from the central government’s civil registry for May this year, Ramakrishna said the data suggests that of the 1.30 lakh fatalities reported in the country, 11,000 were from Andhra Pradesh, compared with 2,938 deaths reported by the state government were.
Ex gratia wanted
“I estimate there were at least 30,000 COVID-19-related deaths in the state in May, compared to the central government’s number of 11,000. The government must publish a white paper on the deaths caused by the virus and give the relatives of all those who have died an ex gratia of ₹ 5 lakh each, ”Ramakrishna told the media here.
He said there were long queues at burial sites and crematoria around the state in May, but the government had labeled them natural death.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ramakrishna S. Mahboob Basha of the IMM organization congratulated him for his service in performing the final rites of the unclaimed corpses in Anantapur.