GDS: Dependents To Get Benefit Within 3 Months
Department of Posts has revamped the existing compassionate engagement scheme offered to the dependent family members of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS). A GDS who dies in harness, the dependents of such GDS will benefit from a liberalized and time bound procedure for engagement on compassionate grounds. Henceforth, any death of a GDS, while on engagement would be compensated by a compassionate engagement to a dependent family member irrespective of the circumstances or indigence. Henceforth, a ministry statement said that, a request received for compassionate engagement would be considered and decided within three months from the date of receipt of the application.
Ministry of Communications & Information Technology has said in a statement that, upper age limit of the applicant could also be relaxed wherever found to be necessary. Thus the new scheme of compassionate engagement will provide greater relief to the members of the family of the deceased GDS who belong to weaker and poorer sections of the society and are thrown into penury and hardship.
The ambit of dependent family member has also been expanded to include:
Married son living with parents and dependent for livelihood on the GDS on the date of death of the GDS
Divorced daughter wholly dependent on the GDS at the time of death of the GDS
Daughter in law of the deceased GDS who is wholly dependent on the GDS, if the only son of the GDS is pre deceased.
This expansion of definition of family members aims to bring greater relief to women in our society who are subjected to difficult circumstances in the unfortunate event of demise of their spouse/parent.
The present system of relative merit points to ascertain the degree of indigence has been dispensed with. Keeping in view the unique and distinct service conditions, socio economic aspects and to relieve the family from financial destitution, the time consuming process of consideration by Circle Relaxation Committee has been done away with.