Farmers protest: Punjab to give jobs to 104 legal heirs of deceased

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], August 26 (ANI): Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh led Punjab Cabinet on Thursday gave ex-post facto approval for jobs to 104 legal heirs of farmers/farm labourers who have died during the ongoing agitation against the farm laws.
In an official release, the Punjab government said that Chief Minister directed the concerned departments to give any further relaxations needed to ensure that the next of kin of all such deceased protestors are provided employment.
"The Chief Minister made it clear that he wanted the family members of all Punjab farmers sacrificing their lives in the stir against the draconian laws to be accommodated in government jobs," the release said.
The Punjab cabinet had earlier authorised the Chief Minister to make any further changes in rules, while approving relaxations to candidates who were not covered under the Punjab government policy dated November 21, 2002, relating to compassionate appointments.
As per the release, the said policy is applicable to government employees and those persons who have died fighting for the security of the nation.
"The cases of the legal heirs of farmers/farm labourers who have died during the farmers' agitation against the farm laws were not covered by the policy, necessitating approval/relaxation," the state government said.
"With the cabinet decision, the deceased farmers'/labourers' mother, father, married brother, married sister, married daughter, daughter-in-law, grandson, granddaughter, next of kin (NoK) etc., as recommended by the concerned DC, would be eligible for employment as a one-time measure," it added.
Notably, a committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary Personnel, on the orders of Chief Minister, to consider the issue. Members of the committee included Secretary/Special Secretary Revenue, Secretary/Additional Secretary/Special Secretary Agriculture and Special Secretary or Head of the concerned department in which appointment is to be made against the vacancies.
"The Committee had, on July 26, considered the cases of 104 candidates and recommended employment to the eligible candidates. In this regard, a letter has been issued by Revenue Department," the Punjab government informed. (ANI)