The Bangladesh Ansar,a paramilitary auxiliary force, wants to be included in coronavirus cash compensation package of the government.
Deputy Director (General)of Bangladesh Ansar and operation coronavirus prevention Md Mahabub Rahman recently sent a letter to the Finance Division under the Finance Ministry in this regard.
Last April, the government declared cash compensation for its civil servants who are tackling the Covid-19 pandemic on the frontlines.
The letter mentioned that two members of the Ansar died of COVID-19 and more than 350 members of Ansar are infected. Most of the infected Ansar members are in Dhaka district.
The members of the country’s auxiliary paramilitary force need that compensation, letter said.
Official of the finance division not be named said the government has decided to compensate government employees who died of coronavirus.
But there is no decision to incorporate people of new sector in the compensation package, official said.
The official also said, “It is a top level decision.”
A circular,issued last April by the Ministry of Finance, revealed that civil servants from Grade 1-9 will get Tk10 lakh each, if they get infected in the line of duty.
Followed by the employees and staffers from Grade 10-14 will get Tk7.5 lakh, and those from Grade 15-20 will get Tk 5 lakh. If any of these employees die in the line of duty, their next kin will get five times the initial compensation, according to the circular.
The government will pay this compensation in addition to any existing financial aid or grant in the case of death of civil servants.
Doctors, nurses and healthcare workers actively engaged in treating coronavirus patients will get the compensation. Along with them employees of field administration, law enforcement agencies, armed forces and other staff directly engaged in managing the coronavirus crisis on the government's order will get the same compensation.
The paramilitary force Bangladesh Ansar, created in Bangladesh in 1948,is composed of three types of Ansars: Regular Ansar (Battalion Ansar), Embodied Ansar (Armed and Attached to Industrial units, Key Point Installations etc.), and Un-embodied Ansar (trained but unarmed volunteers).
The total strength of the Regular Ansar is 16,000, Embodied Ansar 50,000; Un-embodied Ansar strength is close to 200,000.
