Punjab Cabinet to provide jobs to kin of 4 minors killed in 2017 Maur Mandi bomb blast

The Punjab government on Friday approved special provisions in the rules to provide government jobs to one of the family members of each of the four minors killed in the Maur Mandi bomb blast on January 31, 2017.

"The decision was taken on Friday by the Council of Ministers at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh," read a press release by the state government.

At the Cabinet meeting, it was decided to grant special provisions to provide jobs, on compassionate grounds as per the educational qualifications of one member of each of the families of the deceased - Japsimaran Singh, Sourav Singla, Ankush and Ripandeep Singh.

The existing rules did not provide for employment in state service on compassionate grounds for the minor deceased. With the Cabinet decision today, the relevant rules have been relaxed to provide jobs to a member each as per their educational qualification in Bathinda district or adjoining districts against direct quota vacant posts as a special case (without treating it as a precedent).

The jobs provided by the state government are in addition to the financial grant of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of each of the deceased persons. The injured have received Rs 50,000 each from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

It may be recalled that seven persons were killed and 13 injured in the bomb blast incident at Maur Mandi in Bathinda district.

The state government had earlier provided government jobs to the next of kin of two deceased, namely Harpal Singh and Ashok Kumar, as per the existing policy since both were the breadwinners of their families.

In Ashok Kumar's case, his minor daughter, Bago was also killed, but since one member of the family has already been given a job, Bago has not been included in the special provision approved today.

( With inputs from ANI )