Quicksplained: What is the compensation policy for death on poll duty?

Two government employees, who were on Lok Sabha poll duty in Karnataka, passed away on Tuesday due to heart attacks.

According to PTI sources, 48-year-old Govindappa Siddapura, the headmaster of a government school in Bagalkot taluk, collapsed at the Mudhol bus stand and succumbed to a heart attack on Monday.

Assistant agriculture officer Anand Telang (32) died at Kudumbal in Bidar district.

Voting for the second phase of elections in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies across the state is being held on Tuesday.

The compensation policy for death on poll duty

• An ex-gratia is paid to the families of polling personnel deployed for election-related duties who sustain grievous injuries or die while performing his duties, according to the Election Commission of India.

• The payment of ex-gratia compensation applies to Parliamentary/Assembly/Bye elections and to elections of Legislative Councils, President and Vice-President of India.

• The Election Commission rules state that death would be considered to have taken place while “on duty” only if it occurred after the worker left home to report for any election-related work, including training, and before he/she returned home after finishing his/her duty,

• Personnel deployed for all types of election-related duties, such as election observers, security personnel under CAPFs, SAPs, State Police, Home Guards, any private person like drivers, cleaners, etc. hired for election duty, BEL/ECIL engineers engaged in First Level Checking (FLC), EVM Commissioning, poll day and counting day duty, are eligible for ex-gratia.

• If the death is caused by any violent acts and COVID-19, the compensation amount would be Rs 30 lakhs. In the event of death for any other reason, the compensation amount would be Rs 15 lakhs.

• In case of permanent disability, the amount compensated would be Rs 15 lakh and Rs 7.5 lakh in case of grievous injury, as per ECI.

• According to the rules, if someone gets ex-gratia compensation, he/she will also be eligible for the compensation already being paid by the Ministry of Home Affairs under its existing guidelines and any other compensation by the state government or any employer.

• The expenditure incurred due to ex-gratia compensation will be borne by the Government of India during elections to Lok Sabha, Vice President and President of India, by the state government during elections to Legislative Assemblies and Legislative Council and 50:50 basis between the Government of India and concerned state government during the simultaneous election to Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly.

With inputs from PTI