India / PM announces ₹ 2 lakh to the families of those who died of lightning in Rajasthan

New Delhi: Atotal of 68 people died in separate lightning incidents across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan on Sunday.

While the death toll due to heavy lightning in Uttar Pradesh mounted to 41 on Monday, seven people were reported to be dead in Madhya Pradesh.

Lightning strikes claimed 20 lives in Rajasthan on Sunday. Among the deceased, seven were children from Kota and Dholpur districts. Over 10 more people have been reported to suffer injuries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed due to the lightning strikes in all the three states and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

Death toll in UP mounts to 41

So far, a total of 41 people have been killed in lightning strikes across UP, according to preliminary information.

Parts of UP’s Prayagraj also received rainfall where 14 people were killed in separate incidents after being struck by lightning. Five people each died in Kanpur Dehat and Fatehpur, four people in Kaushambi, three in Firozabad, one each in Unnao, Hamirpur and Sonbhadra. Two each died in Kanpur Nagar and one each lost their lives in Pratapgarh Hardoi and Mirzapur.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the officials to provide immediate assistance.

Lightning claims 20 lives in Rajasthan

As many as 20 people died due to lightning strikes in different parts of Rajasthan on Sunday. Over 10 more were reported to suffer injuries.

Among the deceased, 11 were from Jaipur, three from Dholpur, four from Kota, one from Jhalawar and one from Baran.

A total of 17 people had already suffered injuries on Sunday. They were rescued by joint teams of the police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). The injured have been taken to the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur.

Rajasthan CM Gehlot announces ex-gratia for kin of deceased

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the family members of those who died in lightning strikes.

Out of this,Rs 4 lakh will be given from emergency relief fund and 1 lakh from the Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF).

As per information, 11 people were killed in Jaipur's Amer area as sky lightning struck the watch tower twice on Sunday in less than 40 minutes.

Four children died in Kota district of Rajasthan whereas three others passed away in Badi in Dholpur district due to the heavy lightning on Sunday.

Sky lightning struck several parts of Rajasthan on Sunday, a day on which heavy rains lashed different parts of the state, signalling the arrival of the monsoon in the desert state.

CM Gehlot, former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot, former CM Vasundhara Raje had also expressed their condolences on the deaths.

PM Modi announces Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for kin of deceased

PM Modi expressed his grief over the deaths caused by lightning strikes across the three states of UP, MP and Rajasthan. He announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives. He also approved Rs 50,000 as financial aid for those who were injured in the accident across the three states.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi wrote in Hindi, which loosely translated to English reads, "Many people have lost their lives due to lightning in some areas of Rajasthan. This is very saddening. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased."