7th Pay Commission: Centre seeks nomination for compensation to covid-hit families of government employees

7th Pay Commission latest news: The Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances and Pensions' Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare has notified that the families of Central government servants, who died in the performance of bona fide official duty, are entitled to the payment of the amount of ex-gratia lump-sum compensation.

The Department has released an office memorandum notifying this. The OM says, "The families of Central Civil Government servants, who die in harness in the performance of their bonafide official duties under various circumstances, are entitled to payment of ex-gratia lump-sum compensation in accordance with this Department’s OM."

The amount of ex-gratia lump-sum compensation has been revised from time to time. The existing rates of ex-gratia lump-sum payment are specified in this Department’s OM.

The existing instruction, however, does not specify the member of the family to whom such exgratia lump sum compensation is payable in the event of death of the government servant in the performance of bona fide duty.

Therefore, in terms of the guiding principles mentioned in the Annexure to the OM, payment of ex-Gratia lump sum compensation is presently being made to the member of the family who is eligible for extraordinary family pension under the CCS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules.

The matter has been examined in consultation with the Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure). On the death of a Government servant, payment of other lump-sum amounts, such as death gratuity, GPF balance, and CGEGIS amount, is made in accordance with the nominations made by the Government servant during service.

Accordingly, it has been decided that on the death of a Government servant in the performance of bona fide duty also, payment of ex-gratia lump-sum compensation may be made to a member or members of the family in whose favour a nomination is made by the Government servant during service.

Family for this purpose shall have the same meaning as in the case of gratuity and it shall include the members of the family as mentioned in sub-rule (6) of Rule 50 of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.

The Common Nomination Form in Form 1 appended to the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 has been amended to include the nomination in respect of the ex-gratia lump-sum payment and the same is enclosed. Accordingly, nomination in respect of ex-gratia lump sum payment shall also be made in this Common Nomination Form.

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The nomination for ex-gratia lump sum payment shall be subject to the provisions as applicable in the case of gratuity under Rule 53 of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.

Since the ex-gratia lump sum payment is payable to the family only, no nomination shall be made in favour of a person who is not a member of the family, even where the Government servant has no family. If no nomination has been made or the nomination made by the Government servant does not subsist, the exgratia lump sum compensation will be shared equally by all eligible family members, as in the case of Gratuity, in accordance with Rule 51 of the CCS (Pension) Rules

These instructions shall be applicable in the case of the death of a Government servant on or after the date of issue of this OM. Cases of payment of ex-gratia lump-sum compensation on death of Government servants before the date of issue of this OM shall continue to be dealt with in accordance with the instructions applicable before the issue of this OM.