AC enhances ex-gratia relief for local defence personnel

SRINAGAR, JULY 06 (RNA) : The Administrative Council (AC) which met here under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, today approved the enhancement of ex-gratia relief to the next-of-kin (NoK) of defence force personnel, hailing from J&K, who attain martyrdom either in or outside J&K. Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, J&K and Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor attended the meeting. The Administrative Council approved the enhancement of ex-gratia relief from Rs. 5.00 lacs to Rs. 25.00 lacs in favour of NoK of those Defence Personnel who hail from J&K and attain martyrdom within the territorial jurisdiction of the UT of Jammu & Kashmir. Similarly, the Administrative Council also sanctioned ex-gratia relief of Rs. 25.00 lacs in favour of NoK of those Defence Personnel hailing from Jammu & Kashmir, who attain martyrdom in consequence of official duties outside J&K/ within the country. These provisions will be made effective from 01.02.2022 and will remove the disparity between relief provisions in J&K and other States/UTs. The decision will also boost the morale of the soldiers who hail from J&K and are serving in adverse weather and terrain conditions.