Rs 15L from 'Bharat Ke Veer' fund to kin of CAPF coronavirus casualties

An amount of Rs 15 lakh will be provided from the 'Bharat Ke Veer' fund to the family of those central paramilitary forces personnel who succumb to coronavirus while on duty, officials said on Saturday.

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They said the Union home ministry has recently approved the decision and the amount will be "in addition" to the ex gratia of about Rs 1 crore provided by the respective Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to troops who lay down their lives in the line of duty.

Till now, eight CAPFs personnel have succumbed to the disease. The maximum of four fatalities were reported in the CISF and two each in the CRPF and BSF.

The CAPFs or central paramilitary forces -- the Central Reserve Police Force, the Border Security Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Central Industrial Security Force and the Sashastra Seema Bal -- have a combined strength of about 10 lakh personnel deployed for rendering a variety of internal security duties and border guarding.

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The Union home ministry, under whose command the paramilitary forces function, launched the 'Bharat Ke Veer' (BKV) fund in April 2017.

It was created with an aim that common people who wish to pay tributes and make monetary contributions for CAPF men and women can do so in a streamlined manner.

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"A decision has been made by the home ministry that the family of a CAPF corona warrior who dies due to COVID-19 in the line of duty will be provided an amount of Rs 15 lakh in addition to the regular ex-gratia service amount."

"Their personal details and bank account links are being uploaded on the BKV website and the mobile app," a senior official said.

Contributions to the fund can be made through the BKV mobile app or through its official website www.bharatkeveer.gov.in.

All contributions to this fund are exempt from income tax as per government rules.

Earlier this month, PTI had reported that the CRPF had proposed to the government that a special grant of Rs 50 lakh could be provided to central paramilitary personnel who die due to COVID-19 while on duty.

Two cases of the infection have been reported in the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the federal contingency force said, adding that the patients are under treatment at the CAPFs referral hospital in Greater Noida.