West Bengal Special Compassionate Appointment (Dependent of COVID Warrior) Scheme, 2020

Government of West Bengal
Finance (Audit) Department
Nabanna, Howrah

No. 2413-F(P2) Date 12.08.2020

NOTIFICATION

The State Government has galvanized the entire state machinery and mobilized all resources at its disposal to combat the situation arising due to outbreak of Covid-19. A large number of Covid Warriors comprising permanent employees and contractual/ casual/ hired workers/ volunteers of the State Government, Urban & Rural Local Bodies, Public Undertakings and other Statutory Bodies under the State Government are working day and night risking their lives to provide urgent medical treatment and other support services to the affected population and to enforce restrictions to ensure the containment of the pandemic. Many of those frontline workers have themselves been affected by Covid-19 and unfortunately some of them have died in the line of duty.

The state Government has already implemented a string of measures to stand beside these frontline workers. It is bearing the entire cost of treatment and in the event of unfortunate demise of the Covid Warrior, the family is being assisted by a grant of Rs. 10 lakhs.

Now, in order to save the dependent wife/husband/son/daughter/near relation of the deceased/permanently incapacitated of these Covid Warriors from financial distress, the State Government has decided to provide employment in the State Government. The Governor is pleased to formulate a Special scheme for Compassionate appointment of the dependent wife/ husband/ son/ daughter/ near relation of such Covid Warrior employee under the Exempted Category.

Note: ‘near relation’ means

(a) legally adopted son/unmarried daughter before death or incapacitation; or

(b) Married daughter, who on the date of death/incapacitation was unmarried; or

(c) Brother or sister in case of death in harness of an unmarried employee provided his/her parent, all the brothers and sisters were fully dependent on him/her,

– one who was wholly dependent on the employee at the time of his death in harness or incapacitation, as the case may be.

1. The Scheme

The Scheme may be called The West Bengal Special Compassionate Appointment (to the dependent of Covid Warrior who has died or has been permanently incapacitated due to Covid-19) Scheme, 2020.

2. Application

The Scheme will be applicable to a dependent family member of the following categories of employees, who while on Covid-19 related duty, have died or have been rendered permanently incapacitated due to Covid-19 for further service:

A) Employee of State Government, Rural & Urban Local Bodies, Public Undertakings, Statutory Bodies or any Grant-in-Aid Institution.

(B) All frontline workers like (i) ASHA workers (ii) Multipurpose Health Workers (iii) Contractual workers engaged under NHM (iv) all contractual and part-time Medical, Para-medical and Nursing personnel (v) Contractual workers employed in the health facilities including Drug Management, Cleaning, Scavenging, Laundry, Diet and providing other services (vi) Anganwadi workers and Helpers (vii) Civic Volunteers (viii) Civic Police Volunteers and (ix) such other contractual/ casual/ daily-rated/ hired workers/ volunteers in Government establishments.

3. Group/Post to which such appointment can be made

Compassionate Appointment may be made to the post in Group-C or Group-D category against available vacancy depending upon the educational qualification and eligibility of the applicant-wife/ husband/ son/ daughter/ near relation of the deceased/ permanently incapacitated employee/ worker.

In exceptional circumstances, the Department concerned, with the concurrence of Finance Department, may consider appointment in other categories of post in consideration of higher qualification and eligibility of the candidate.

4. Appointing Authority

The Department concerned under which the deceased/permanently incapacitated employee/ worker had been working will be the Appointing Authority. The Head of Department will give final approval for such appointment with the approval of the MIC/MOS of the concerned Department. For the purpose, no prior approval of the Finance Department will be required.

In the event of non-availability of vacancy in the respective department, necessary post (s) may be created with the concurrence of Finance Department.

5. Procedure to be followed

(i) The dependent of the deceased/ permanently incapacitated employee/ worker intending to avail the facility of the scheme shall apply in plain paper alongwith certificate of death/ incapacitation of the concerned employee and all testimonials of the applicant in support of age, educational qualification, caste status, differently abled certificate, if any, to the Head of Office.

(ii) The Head of Office will obtain declaration of other family members that they have no objection for compassionate appointment in favour of the applicant.

(iii) On receipt of the application the Head of Office will immediately process the case after verification of the identity of the applicant and testimonials submitted by him/her.

(iv) The Department concerned, before issuance of appointment letter, will obtain undertaking from the candidate in the form of an affidavit in regard to the following –

(a) That he/she will properly maintain the other member(s) of the family.

(b) That the information regarding his/her educational qualification, age etc. are true, failure to which and in the event of any adverse report, if detected, upon completion of Police Verification, his/her appointment shall be liable to be terminated.

(v) In case of overage of the applicant, the same may be condoned as per relevant rules.

6. Time frame for issuance of appointment letter

Appointment letter shall be issued within a period of 30 working days from the date of receipt of proper application alongwith all necessary supporting documents for Employment Assistance pending Police Verification and Medical Examination of the candidate. However, the process of Police Verification and Medical Examination shall be initiated immediately after joining of the candidate and completed within a period of one month.

7. Overriding priority

Offering of a job under this Scheme will have overriding priority and precedence over other cases of appointment under Exempted Category.

8. General

It is presumed that the family of the deceased/ permanently incapacitated employee/ worker/ volunteer would submit application for Employment Assistance within a very short period. However, the Head of Office may wait for submission of such application for a maximum period of three months from the date of death/the date of declaring permanent incapacitation of the employee/ worker/ volunteer after which it will be presumed that the family does not require Employment Assistance.

However, in compelling circumstances the Appointing Authority to his satisfaction, may condone delayed submission of application under the scheme for one year from the date of death/permanently incapacitation.

Once a candidate is appointed under the Scheme, he/she will be guided by the service rules/ orders/ guidelines applicable for the post and that no special dispensation shall be allowed to him/her. No appointment shall be made under the scheme until the candidate has attained 18 years of age.

Necessary amendment to the provision of Section 3 of the West Bengal Regulation of Recruitment in State Government Establishment and Establishments of Public Undertakings, Statutory Bodies, Government companies and Local Authorities Act, 1999 will be made in due course.

9. The scheme will be deemed to have come into force from 1st April, 2020.

Sd/- H. K. Dwivedi
Additional Chief Secretary to the
Government of West Bengal

No. 2413-F dated 12.08.2020, Source