U.P. hikes compensation for COVID deaths during poll duty
The Hindu
Deaths even a month after duty to be considered with test reports
The kin of staff who died after contracting COVID-19 while on polling duty in the Uttar Pradesh panchayat elections, will now be eligible for ex-gratia compensation even if the death occurred 30 days after the day of duty. The State cabinet headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday evening passed the proposal to relax the rules of compensation for staff who died on poll duty after criticism from teachers’ unions who had argued that the current rules of compensation laid out by the State Election Commission were not practical for COVID-19. The unions argued that since people develop symptoms and die days and even weeks after exposure, the SEC’s rule that an official was considered to be on election duty only from the period he or she left their residence for training, polling and counting work till they reached their residence after work, did not make sense.More Related News