UP Wants Guidelines Modified To Compensate Covid Victims Who Died Post Poll Duty

The government made the suggestion amid demands of compensation by teachers claiming that 1,621 teachers, educators and other departmental personnel, who were on poll duty, had died due to COVID-19.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday suggested the state Election Commission should modify its guidelines so that more people, including teachers, who died due to COVID-19 during the panchayat poll duty could be given compensation. The suggestion came amid the demands of compensation raised by teachers' unions which claimed that 1,621 teachers, educators and other departmental personnel, who were on poll duty during the recently concluded panchayat elections in the state, had died due to coronavirus. The unions have demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore each to the families of the victims and government jobs for the dependents. However, state Basic Education Minister Satish Dwivedi on Tuesday had rejected the claim and said that according to the established norms, only three teachers had died during election duty.