Maha hikes payout for kin of jawans killed in line of duty

The Maharashtra government Tuesday increased compensation to Rs 1 crore from Rs 25 lakh for families of security personnel hailing from the state who lay down their life in the line of duty.

A decision to this effect was taken by the state cabinet at its meeting here.

Families of defence and security personnel from the state killed during a war or war-like situations will get Rs 1 crore compensation each, said a cabinet note.

Personnel wounded in conflict will get monetary compensations ranging from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 60 lakh each, depending on the severity of their injury, it said.

In March 2018, the state government had revised the compensation amount for such families to Rs 25 lakh which has now been increased to Rs 1 crore, said the cabinet note.

Personnel who are residents of Maharashtra and have joined any security force such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, BSF and CRPF, among others, and get killed in military action even outside country will get the compensation, it said.

The Cabinet also decided to raise by Rs 1,500, the allowances for special teachers attached with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, taking them to Rs 21,500.

The decision will benefit 1,946 teachers who are part of the universal elementary education programme, the Cabinet note said.

The hike in allowances would put an additional burden of Rs 3,50,28,000 on the state treasury per year, it said.

A national law university, proposed in Aurangabad district of central Maharashtra, has been allotted an additional 33 acres owned by the state goverment's Water and Land Management Institute.

The university had been partially operational in Aurangabad since 2017.

With this, the university will now have a total of 50 acres for the campus, the note stated.

The cabinet also approved a proposal of the state's cultural department to renew the lease of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) for the next 30 years with an annual rent of Re 1.

The gallery in south Mumbai, which hosts various exhibitions and art collections of famous artists and sculptors, is spread over 14,894 square meters.