J-K: Administrative Council enhances ex-gratia relief for local defence personnel

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, informed the state Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) on Wednesday.

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 lakhs to Rs 25 lakhs 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 and Kashmir, an official statement read.

Similarly, the Administrative Council also sanctioned ex-gratia relief of Rs 25 lakh in favour of NoK of those Defence Personnel hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, who attain martyrdom in consequence of official duties outside J-K/ within the country, it added.

These provisions will be made effective from February 1, 2022, and will remove the disparity between relief provisions in J-K and other States and 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.

( With inputs from ANI )