COVID-19: Guj govt announces Rs 25 lakh compensation for staff

The Gujarat government on Tuesday said state government employees, who are engaged in work related to coronavirus, will be eligible for Rs 25 lakh compensation in case they get infected and die in the line of duty. The government had earlier announced Rs 25 lakh compensation to the next of kin of front-line staff, including police personnel, health and sanitation workers, staff of revenue and food supply department and fair price shopkeepers.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced that the cover will be extended to all government employees who are involved in jobs related to the pandemic. Family members of such employees would be paid Rs 25 lakh compensation if the personnel contract the infection and succumb to it, the Chief Minister's secretary Ashwani Kumar said. All contractual, fixed pay or any other employees of the Gujarat government will be eligible for this compensation package, he said.

Meanwhile, Kumar said during the 21-day lockdown, the Centre had deposited Rs 800 crore in the bank accounts of around 40 lakh farmers in the state under the Prime Minister's Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, with each farmer getting Rs 2,000. The Central government will pay Rs 6,000 to each farmer in three instalments in a year under the scheme, he added.