Under the scheme named, “Antim Yatra- Aakhri Safar”, the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation (KMC) will take care of transportation of bodies to the crematorium or burial grounds, rituals, arranging firewood, kerosene, and other material required.
To ensure that the last rites of the poor and needy are performed with dignity amid the Covid-19 crisis, a civic body in Telangana's Karimnagar district has come up with a scheme to provide funeral services for as little as Re 1.
For poor people belonging to other religions, the corporation will allocate space for burial of the mortal remains besides arranging required materials.
Launched in June 2019, the 'Antim Yatra' scheme has proven to be of great help for the poor, who were otherwise being charged hefty amounts by individuals and private hospitals.
"Normally, the rate for performing funeral of one Covid-19 body is charged Rs 10,000, but private funeral teams have been demanding hefty amounts from the grieving families," said Karimnagar Municipal Corporation Mayor Sunil Rai.
“While 150 funerals of Covid-19 patients were performed last year, 100 have been done so far this year," the KMC Mayor added.
The civic body has also received assistance from Karimnagar Madiga Sangham, which performs the final rites on the banks of river Maner on the outskirts of Karimnagar in accordance with all rituals and Covid-19 protocol.
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