UP govt to give Rs 30 lakh aid to kin of panchayat polls workers who died of Covid-19

Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved financial aid of Rs 30 lakh for the kin of the government officials who died during panchayat poll duty.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday approved Rs 30 lakh financial assistance for the families of those government officials who lost their lives during duty in the recent panchayat elections and also those who died due to Covid-19. The ex gratia for the deceased government staff was increased from Rs 15 lakh to 30 lakh in the virtual state cabinet meeting on Monday. The decision by the UP Cabinet comes days after a teachers' body claimed that over 1,600 teachers and workers of the Basic Education Department have died in Uttar Pradesh since the first week of April due to Covid-19 and 90% of them were on panchayat poll duty.