Kin of personnel who died of Covid during election duty to get ex gratia

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government will provide financial assistance to family members of the personnel who died of Covid-19 in the course of their duty in the three-tier panchayat elections in the state.

According to an order issued by additional chief secretary, panchayati raj, Manoj Kumar Singh, district magistrates will send proposals to the state election commission for the ex-gratia payment to the dependents of the personnel who succumbed to the pandemic during election duty. The government has made amendments to rules incorporating Covid deaths as a ground for providing financial assistance. “The current rules allow ex-gratia in case of accidental deaths due to terror violence, bomb blast or murder by anti-social element etc during election duty,” a senior official pointed out.