10L compensation for families of Iraq victims

◗ Pressure had been mounting on the Government from the Opposition and families of the deceased to announce some financial compensation to the next of kin.

The Government finally announced assistance “` 10 lakhs each from Prime Minister’s Relief Fund to the bereaved families of 39 Indian nationals killed by ISIS in Iraq”. The Government had earlier announced the confirmation of the deaths of 38 Indians from the 39 bodies found. But this is the first official confirmation that the 39th body is indeed that of Raju Kumar Yadav from Bihar, taking the toll to 39 Indians. Pressure had been mounting on the Government from the Opposition as well as families of the deceased to announce some financial compensation to the next of kin.

External affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted, “Prime Minister Shri @ narendramodi has announced an assistance Rs. 10 lacs each from Prime Minister’s Relief Fund to the bereaved families of 39 Indian nationals killed by ISIS in Iraq.” Of the 39 dead, 27 were from Punjab, four from Himachal Pradesh, six from Bihar and two from West Bengal.

Minister of State ( MoS) for external affairs Gen. ( retd.) V. K. Singh had returned on Monday from Iraq in a special aircraft with the mortal remains of 38 of the 39 Indians. The DNA samples of 38 bodies had fully matched with that of the blood relatives of the missing Indians. In order to conclusively verify the identity of the body suspected to be that of the 39th missing Indian in Iraq—- Raju Kumar Yadav from Bihar—- the Government had recently sent a second DNA sample of Yadav’s brother to the Iraqi Capital Baghdad. But that confirmation is now seen to be a “technicality”. The 39 Indian workers had gone missing in Mosul in 2014.