CPI(M) MP Brittas claims mismatch in COVID death figures citing recent CRS report

New Delhi | CPI(M) MP John Brittas on Wednesday wrote to Health Minister JP Nadda claiming there is a mismatch between the official COVID-19 death toll and the figures according to the recently-released Civil Registration System (CRS) data.

The Rajya Sabha member, in his letter, said while the Union government has reported approximately 3.3 lakh COVID-19 deaths, the CRS-based analyses and media reports reveal excess deaths nearing 19.7 lakh in 2021 alone - a figure nearly six times higher than the government's count.

He described it as a matter of grave national concern and demanded accountability and transparency in addressing the gap.

He also urged the minister to ensure proper and inclusive implementation of the Supreme Court's directive for ex-gratia compensation of Rs 50,000 to the next of kin of all COVID-19 victims.

"In light of these startling revelations, a pressing question arises: How many among these grieving families have actually received the Rs 50,000 ex-gratia compensation or other support under various schemes," Brittas asked.

He also called for a nationwide audit, relaxed documentation norms, and a grievance redressal mechanism to ensure that all affected families, particularly "those excluded due to underreporting, testing limitations, or bureaucratic oversight", receive their rightful compensation.

He urged Nadda to issue urgent directions to conduct a comprehensive nationwide audit to ascertain how many families have received the ex-gratia compensation vis-a-vis both official and estimated death counts.

"Furthermore, I request the establishment of a transparent and inclusive mechanism to ensure that compensation is extended to all next of kin of those reflected in the excess mortality data, particularly where death occurred during the pandemic under analogous circumstances. This should include relaxed documentation norms wherever necessary and a robust grievance redressal mechanism to enable excluded families to claim their rightful compensation," Brittas wrote.

According to the Vital Statistics report for 2021 based on CRS released last week, the number of registered deaths increased from 81.2 lakh in 2020 to 102.2 lakh in 2021. The report for 2020 said the number of registered deaths increased from 76.4 lakh in 2019 to 81.2 lakh in 2020.

Last week, government sources had said India's cumulative excess mortality for 2020-2021 was 9.3 per cent higher than expected deaths, a figure which was lower than that of the US, Italy and Russia.

Sources pointed out that the number of deaths documented in the CRS has been increasing over time, even in the years preceding the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

They also said annual secular increase in deaths registered in CRS can be attributed to several reasons, including a larger population cohort, maturing reporting processes and increased awareness of the need for registration, leading to higher registration levels.