Hry to offer Class-2 job to kin of officer-rank army martyrs

UNTIL NOW, GOVT WAS OFFERING CLASS3 AND 4 POSTS TO KIN OF ARMY AND PARAMILITARY MARTYRS UNDER 2014 POLICY

CHANDIGARH : The Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government has decided to offer Class-2 posts to the dependents of Haryana-origin Class-1 and Class-2 rank officers of the armed and paramilitary forces killed in action.

Until now, the government was rehabilitating the kin of the martyrs with Class-3 and 4 posts under a 2014 policy. Besides a government job, the government also gives Rs 50 lakh grant to the family of the armed forces and paramilitary personnel killed in border skirmishes or terrorist attacks, irrespective of their rank.

As per the official records, as many as 225 dependents of martyrs have been given government jobs on compassionate grounds in Haryana in past four years. Haryana has near 3 lakh ex-servicemen and their dependents’ number is about 8.75 lakh, as per official records.

Last week, the cabinet had given nod to give group-c job to a daughter of army soldier killed on November 9, 1988 in Operation Meghdoot. She was 10-month-old when her father, a resident of Rewari, died in action.

“The government has now decided to grant Class-ii jobs also to those dependents/family members of deceased martyrs/ battle casualty only in such cases where martyrs/battle casualty was Class- or Class II officer (sic),” the government has said in its September 28 order, informing all the administrative secretaries and heads of the departments, with copy to the Haryana Public Service Commission.

Whether to enlarge the ambit of the existing policy and grant Class-2 jobs to the family members of the martyrs on compassionate ground has been under consideration of the government for quite some time now, a government functionary said.

The government has laid down 12 conditions which include that only one eligible family member of the martyrs’ family hailing from Haryana will be eligible for the job.

The dependent include “son, daughter (married or unmarried) or spouse or brother of battle casualty.”

Also, the legally adopted son or daughter is legible for job if the adoption formalities were complete when the martyr was alive.

The government considers the eligible “dependent/family member of battle casualty” as per the immediate next of kin preference given by the deceased.

In its latest order the government has said eligible family members will be considered for direct recruitment in Class-2, 3 or 4 posts keeping in view their “educational qualification, eligibility criteria and provisions as laid down in the recruitment rules for the concerned post.”

“However, the applicant would be eligible for Class-ii job only in such cases where martyr/ battle casualty was Class-i or Class-i officer,” reads the order.

The government has also decided that it will consider such cases “even if one or more members of the family of martyr/battle casualty is/are in service.”

However, the government has made it clear that it will not reopen the cases of those persons who have already been given government employment under the earlier policies of May-august 2014.