Punjab govt. to provide ex-gratia for govt employees who die in fight against coronavirus

Punjab Government has decided to provide an ex-gratia of Rs. 50 lakhs to the dependents of all the government employees, including contractual and outsourced staff, who dies in harness in the fight against coronavirus, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said on Sunday. He added that "Punjab will always stand by its Corona Warriors!" It shall be applicable to all the categories of regular employees of the State during the fight against coronavirus. Meanwhile, the Department of Finance stated that the civil surgeon of the concerned district where the employee was on duty shall be competent authority to certify the cause of death. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner has been asked to ascertain the nature of duties entrusted upon such employees and whether the employee was on duty on the day of mishap. The compensation is admissible only for the pandemic of COVID-19 and it shall remain in force for a period of four months from April 1 to August 31. Also, it shall be admissible to the employees covered under the Old Pension scheme and those recruited on or after January 1, 2004, and covered under the New Pension Scheme (NPS). Also Read | Facebook to allow almost all its employees to work from home till end of 2020 Captain Amarinder Singh said in a tweet:"'Our Government has decided to provide an ex-gratia of Rs. 50 lakhs to the dependents of all government employees, including contractual and outsourced staff, who die in harness in the fight against #Covid19. Punjab will always stand by its Corona Warriors!" -PTC News