Lucknow, Jul 14 (IANS): Families of 2,020 government employees who died of Covid during the Panchayat poll duty will receive Rs 30 lakh each in compensation from the Uttar Pradesh government.

Additional Chief Secretary (Panchayati Raj) Manoj Kumar Singh said that 3,092 applications had been received under revised protocols for determining death on duty from Covid and 2,020 cases were recommended as eligible for compensation.

"There are an additional 10 to 20 cases which will be forwarded to the state advisory board on Covid. Once they confirm the eligibility, their families will also receive compensation," he said.

Under the earlier definition of 'death on duty', the government had identified 74 government employees who died of Covid and non-Covid reasons.

The rules stated that compensation would be given only if the employee died on duty or during travel to and from place of duty, which factored in a day or maximum two, depending on how far the employee travelled.

However, various employees' associations protested and claimed that more employees had succumbed to Covid while on duty.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the chief secretary and Panchayati Raj officials to request the Election Commission to amend rules to reflect the impact of the pandemic.

The state cabinet on May 31 approved the changed rules under which ex-gratia would be granted if Covid death took place within 30 days of the date of election duty. Those who tested negative, but died of post-Covid complications within a timeframe would also be considered for compensation. The government has considered a positive RT-PCR or antigen test, blood report or CT scan of the chest as evidence of Covid infection.

In the cases forwarded for review to the advisory board, Singh said, RT-PCR or antigen reports were missing, but doctor's prescription, blood tests showing high CRP value and proof of treatment as Covid presumptive case were attached.