NEWS

Simplifying the rules of family pension further, the Central government has announced 3 big concessions for the pensioners amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. Union Minister Jitendra Singh recently announced that the claim of family pension will now be released immediately after verifying the death certificate of the deceased. Families will not have to wait for paperwork now if the pensioner has died due to COVID-19 or even because of any other reason.

The Central government has also made the release of Provisional Family Pension faster under Rule 80 (A) of CCS (Pension) Rule 1972. According to this new rule change, the Pension of the Central government employees who died during the service will be actively released to the family member. The beneficiary is only required to submit the claim papers at the Pay and Accounts Office.

On a day that the health ministry flagged the threat to children in the looming third Covid-19 wave, the Karnataka government also ramped up efforts to mitigate the issue. The state government has now set up paediatric wards in all district hospitals, health minister Dr K Sudhakar said. Dr Sudhakar on Tuesday chaired a meeting with senior officials of Health and Family Welfare and Medical Departments to review the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the state and containment measures.“Oxygen generation plant will be set up in every taluk hospital and district hospital across the state. A dedicated 70-80 bed paediatrics ward will be arranged in all district hospitals. Additional paediatricians and nursing staff will also be recruited wherever it is necessary.

India has reported nearly 53 per cent of its total coronavirus deaths since March 1, while 37 per cent of the cumulative fatalities have been reported after May 1, official data from the union health ministry shows.

Also, more than 60 per cent of the total coronavirus cases have been reported since March 1, the government data analysed by a news channel.

As of today, India’s total coronavirus infection load is 2.81 crore while 3.31 lakh deaths have been reported since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Of these, 1.70 crore infections and 1.74 lakh deaths have been reported after March 1, the data shows.

Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said on Tuesday internal tussle of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was affecting the state’s progress. Yadav said development schemes have come to a standstill as BJP leadership has to coordinate between the saffron camp and the Yogi Adityanath-led government.

“The sole purpose of such meetings and consultations with the Sangh is to reoccupy power. Even as the state struggled to deal with the coronavirus crisis, the BJP is back to strategising its way back to power” the SP supremo said in a statement. Uttar Pradesh is slated to witness Assembly election in 2022.