The Punjab government had earlier implemented the scheme for providing compensation to the victims of various crimes, such as acid attacks, rape etc. The Punjab Cabinet Monday approved subsistence allowance for family members of eight of the 27 people from the state who were killed by the terrorist outfit ISIS in Mosul in Iraq in 2014.
“The Cabinet led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh gave ex-post facto approval for payment of subsistence allowance of Rs 10,000 a month, with effect from October 24, 2019, for the family members of eight of the 27 Punjabis killed in Mosul in 2014,” an official spokesperson said.
“While seven cases relate to the parents of the deceased, one is the wife of a victim. Those who were not eligible for jobs on compassionate grounds under the state policy. Lifetime subsistence allowance has also been approved for these affected families,” the spokesperson added.
Thirty-nine Indians, including 27 from Punjab, who went to Iraq for employment opportunities, were abducted and killed by the ISIS in Mosul. The victims from Punjab hailed from eight districts — Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Sangrur, Kapurthala and Gurdaspur. Their mortal remains were exhumed and brought to Amritsar in April 2018.
The state government has provided employment to one dependent family member each of the remaining victims according to their educational qualification and government’s policy.
An ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to 26 dependent family members has already been disbursed from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. One victim from Jalandhar had no legal heir, according to official records.
“As per information received from the DCs, seven cases from Amritsar and one of Kapurthala were not covered under the policy, where job on compassionate grounds could be provided to the family members. One victim’s wife rejected the job offer and desired that it may be given to her minor son (now 11-12 years of age),” said the spokesperson
Amendment to ‘Punjab Victim Compensation Scheme, 2017’
The Cabinet also approved the draft notification of ‘Punjab Victim Compensation (First Amendment) Scheme-2017’, to grant compensation to the victims of transfusion of HIV-positive blood due to medical negligence. The amendment will also enable the recovery of the compensation amount from the accused.
“Notably, Member Secretary, Punjab State Legal Services Authority, taking notice of the incident regarding transfusion of HIV-positive blood to a patient in Bhai Mani Singh Hospital, Bathinda, had filed a PIL in Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking an amendment in Punjab Victim Compensation Scheme, 2017,” the spokesperson said.
The Punjab government had earlier implemented the scheme for providing compensation to the victims of various crimes, such as acid attacks, rape etc. Out of the funds received under the scheme, the Punjab State Legal Services Authority allocates the requisite compensation to the victims.
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