L-G Kiran Bedi directs Puducherry govt to give Rs 22 crore compensatory pay to police

On Wednesday, Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi directed the Home and Finance Departments of the Narayanaswamy government to immediately provide special ex-gratia payment to police personnel who performed duty during the 2019 Parliamentary elections in the Union Territory.

As per a release by the administration, the Lt Governor also ordered the departments to disburse arrears of duty allowance for the Home Guards. On account of this honorarium of the police personnel and disbursement of arrears of duty allowance, the government would incur an expenditure of around 22 crore. 

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The release also stated that Kiran Bedi has given her nod to the Department of Adi Dravida and Scheduled Tribes Welfare to disburse Rs 1,000 to each adult member.

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DBT to Adi Dravidars and STs

The release said the payment would benefit 1,31,938 adults of Adi Dravidars and Scheduled tribes in the Union Territory. A sum of Rs 13 crore will be spent under this scheme and the amount of Rs 1000 will be credited to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme. The Rs 1000 includes payment for Diwali festival of 2019 and the Pongal festival this year in lieu of free garments.

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DBT to BPL families 

Each family coming under the Below Poverty Line would also be paid Rs 900 through their bank accounts in lieu of free garments under a scheme of the Department of Women and Child Development, the release said. The Lt Governor has given the nod for disbursement of Rs 12 crore under this scheme, benefitting 1.40 lakh BPL families, the release said.

(With ANI Inputs)

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