The narendra Modi-led Union government on thursday refuted media reports claiming that the Centre vastly undercounted the coronavirus death toll in the country. The health ministry called the reports as totally fallcious. The ministry further added that the reports have wrongly assumed the excess deaths as Covid mortalities.

Many health experts opine that India’s official Covid death toll of 4.18 lakh is an undercount so far. The Modi government had earlier in May dismissed the reports as “baseless and absolutely false”.

The government’s latest response came two days after a survey report published by the Center for Global Development, a United States-based  think-tank, showed that the excess deaths in the asian country were estimated to be in the range of 34 lakh and 47 lakh, which are about 10 times higher than official Covid-19 death toll of India.  The excess deaths are counted on how many more people are dying than expected as compared to previous few years.

"A Statute-based and robust death registration system is in the country. Some cases can go undetected but missing out the count on large scale of deaths is unlikely," the health ministry said.

Union health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on tuesday said in the rajya sabha that if any underreporting of deaths is done, it is done by the States. He added that the Centre only compiles the data provided by the States and publishes it.

మరింత సమాచారం తెలుసుకోండి:

'Totally fallcious' Centre on reports of Undercounting Covid deaths

Shaik Abdul Sammad

22/07/2021 09:08 PM