Release of monetary benefits being delayed
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Jan 28: Dependents of the COVID warriors in the Health Department, who lost their lives as a result of being in direct contact and care of COVID-19 patients, are running from pillar to posts for help as the case files of the deceased employees for the release of announced ex-gratia and their due monetary benefits, are facing official apathy.
What to talk of insurance claim for Health workers fighting COVID-19 and additional ex-gratia posthumously, even the Gratuity and Leave encashment of the deceased employees have not yet been released by the concerned authorities with the result families of some departed COVID warriors are virtually at the verge of starvation.
“Not even a single penny has been released so far by the Health Department in which my father served for around three decades till his death because of COVID-19 and my mother is feeding the family by borrowing from relatives and neighbours as we have no other source of income,” said Tasabbur Tahir, son of Mohd Tahir, who was a Pharmacist in the Health Department and had died because of COVID-19 in October last.
Tasabbur is a student of class 12th and eldest among four children of deceased Mohd Tahir, resident of Behrote in Thannamandi of district Rajouri.
Same is the case with dependents of some other COVID warriors of the Health Department, who lost their lives while fighting the pandemic and now their family members are running from pillar to post for getting the due monetary benefits released.
Pertinent to be mentioned that the Ministry of Health and family Welfare, Government of India has announced “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package: Insurance Scheme for Health Workers fighting COVID-19”, for providing an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakhs for Health care providers, including community health workers, who may have to be in direct contact and care of COVID-19 patients and who may be impacted by the pandemic.
In addition to this Insurance scheme, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has also ordered an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakhs, payable to the dependent members/legal heirs of those Health care workers, who may lose their lives as a result of being in direct contact and care of COVID-19 patients.
However, the dependents of the deceased COVID warriors in Health Department are being deprived of the these monetary benefits, duly ordered by the Government of India as well as the Government of Jammu and Kashmir.
While the Insurance agency is allegedly delaying processing of the claim files by seeking ‘un-necessary’ clarifications and listing deficiency of documents in respect of claim under PMGKP, the UT authorities are denying the ex-gratia amount on the purported plea that the same shall be released after the PMGKP Insurance claim is settled.
More disappointing is the fact that even the Gratuity and Leave encashment of the deceased employees are not being released by the concerned authorities because of administrative intertie in the department.
Despite the mourning families and some sympathetic colleagues personally pursing the cases, the files for release of Gratuity, Leave encashment and other monetary benefits of deceased Corona Warriors are moving at snail’s pace from one office to other office for the clearance.
Official communiqués in possession of Excelsior explain that the letter forwarded by the office of BMO Chowki Choura for grant of leave salary in favour of Late S Kehar Singh, Sr Pharmacist, NTPHC Bharore, Block Chowki Choura, who died in September 2020 because of COVID-19, was not forwarded by the office of CMO Jammu for more than two months.
As there was no response to the official communiqué vide number BMO/AH/CC 176, dated October 6, 2020 for more than a month, it was followed by a reminder vide BMO/AH/CC/240, dated November 11, 2020 after which the case was forwarded to Director Health Services Jammu, who is learnt to have now issued directions for speeding up the compilation of the cases.
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