By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : To boost the morale of security personnel fighting Maoists, Orissa Tuesday hiked the amount of compensation to those killed or wounded in operations against the rebels, officials said.
The state government hiked the ex-gratia amount from Rs.500,000 to Rs.1 million to be payable to the kin of each police official above the rank of inspector killed in anti-Maoist operations. For officials below that rank, the amount has been raised from Rs.400,000 to Rs.800,000, a senior state home department official told IANS.
Similarly, the compensation of Rs.100,000 has also been doubled to each policeman who mighty be incapacitated in anti-Maoist operations, he said.
The decision would be effective from January 2008, he said.
The state government will also bear all medical expenses of the personnel injured during operations, whether they are admitted to government hospitals or private ones, he said.
The radical Left-wing militancy in parts of southern, northern and northwestern Orissa, covering at least half of the state’s 30 districts, continues to be a major concern for the Orissa government.
More than 100 people, including policemen and rebels, have been killed in the state since 2005 in Maoist attacks and police retaliations.