Haryana Government has decided to delegate the power to grant ex-gratia to the Deputy Commissioners and the Zila Sainik and Ardh Sainik Welfare Officers, with an aim to ensure faster dispensation of financial relief to the bereaved families of martyrs in the State.
The power to sanction ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh has been delegated to Deputy Commissioners so that there is no delay in transit of documents from district office to headquarters and Vic, said an official spokesman.
He said it had been observed that often the defence and para-military authorities took some time to issue necessary documentation in cases of death due to enemy action, terrorist encounters and IED blasts.
The State Government has, therefore, decided to release ex-gratia financial grants in cases of martyrdom which are widely reported in national media and where the facts are self-evident. In such cases, the State Government has decided not to wait for issue of documents from military and para-military authorities and release the ex-gratia grant immediately, said the spokesman.
The number of ex-servicemen in the state is more than 2.83 lakh and their dependents’ number is about 8.75 lakh.
Besides these, there are 1,216 war widows, 85,121 widows and their 2,48,099 dependents. There are also 5,500 World War II ESM and widows in Haryana.
He said since November 2014, the Government has offered more than 120 jobs to the next of kin of martyrs in 2016-17 in Group C and D categories.
The State Government provides ex-gratia financial compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the bereaved families. This is the highest amount of ex-gratia for families of martyrs in the country, he said.
He said that soldiers in defence and paramilitary services bravely defend our country from external aggression and ensure internal security so that the people of India can live, work and sleep in peace. They perform their duty at high risk to their lives, said the spokesman.