Somobyathi scheme for poor

Somobyathi is a scheme of the West Bengal state government to provide financial assistance to poor for the performance of the rites and rituals and to meet incidental expenses related to cremation/burial, to the next of kin / nearest family members of the deceased person.

Implementation

The scheme is implemented by the Panchayat and Rural Development Department in Panchayat areas and Municipal Affairs Department in Urban areas of the State.

Benefits

• A one-time assistance for performance of the rites and rituals and to meet incidental expenses related to cremation/burial, to the next of kin / nearest family members of the deceased person, who are in extreme financial necessity to perform such rites and rituals.
• This assistance will be RS.2,000/-, which will include cremation / burial charge, purchase of necessary articles required to perform the rites and rituals at the time of cremation / burial and charges to carry the dead body at the Cremation / Burial ground, and other incidental expenses, if any.

Eligibility

• Poor families, living in the State of West Bengal and where the cremation / burial takes place at Crematoriums, Burning Ghats, Burial grounds etc., situated within the State of West Bengal.
• The assistance will be provided to the next of kin, and if not available, to the nearest family member of the deceased person, who will apply with necessary cremation / Burial Certificate at the time of cremation/burial, as the case may be.

How to apply

• The assistance under this "scheme" shall be sanctioned on the basis of the written application in a plain paper, received from the next of kin, and if not available, from the nearest member of the family of the deceased person.
• The financial assistance shall be provided at the time of issuance of cremation / burial certificate by the person duly authorized by the Executive Officer of the Urban Local Body, at the Cremation Ground / Burning Ghat / Burial Ground which are under the administrative jurisdiction of the concerned ULB. It has also to be ensured by the Urban Local Body that above mentioned authorized person, shall remain present at the respective Cremation Ground / Burning Ghat / Burial Ground and shall arrange for necessary fund required for providing such assistance at those places.
• For providing the said grant in rural areas, the Block Development Officer will follow either of the two ways viz.
• to sanction and disburse the one-time ex-gratia grant immediately on receipt of the application as aforesaid in cash to the nearest relation of the family of the deceased person directly from her/his own office or through an Extension Officer of the Block or the Executive Assistant or the Secretary of the Gram Panchayat concerned on the spot of the funeral so that the incumbent family can utilize the amount at the time of the funeral itself; or
• to reimburse the one-time ex-gratia grant in cash to the nearest relation of the family of the deceased person, on receipt of the application as stated before, directly from her/his own office or through an Extension Officer of the Block or the Executive Assistant or the Secretary of the Gram Panchayat concerned as soon as possible after the funeral and issuance of cremation/ burial certificate by the authorized officer.
• In exceptional cases, where the deceased person has left no family or near relation and where such grant is essentially required to meet funeral and other incidental expenses in respect of the deceased person, any member of the immediate neighborhood who will apply for issuance of Cremation / Burial Certificate may submit an application in the manner stated before for such one-time grant to person duly authorized by the Urban Local Body responsible to issue the Cremation / Burial Certificate, at the Cremation Ground/ Burning Ghat / Burial Ground. The said authorized person, after careful examination and satisfaction about the genuineness of the case, will sanction and disburse the grant in cash to the applicant for the purpose.

For providing such grant in exceptional cases as stated above in rural areas, the Block Development Officer will follow either of the two ways as stated above for providing grant in rural areas, to sanction and disburse the one time grant.

• The assistance under the "scheme", will be sanctioned and disbursed in cash to the nearest relation of the family of the deceased person who will apply for Cremation / Burial Certificate, upon receiving a proper receipt from the recipient of the grant. For this purpose, the eligibility of the incumbent family shall be accepted by the person duly authorized by the concerned Executive Officer of Urban Local Body / Block Development Officer of the Gram Panchayat concerned.
• For cremation / burial of deceased in private burning ghat / burial ground within the jurisdiction of any Gram Panchayat / ULB, such assistance under the "scheme" will be provided as per procedure laid down above upon submission of necessary documents to the concerned authorized person, as soon as possible.
• However, in all above cases, post-facto approval shall be obtained by the person duly authorized by the Gram Panchayat/ Urban Local Body responsible for disbursement of the ex-gratia under this "scheme" at the respective cremation/ burial ground, from the appropriate authority of the concerned Gram Panchayat/ Urban Local Body responsible for this purpose within the next 3 working days and all such documents to be preserved properly at the Gram Panchayat Officer / Municipal Office.

Source : Finance Department West Bengal