Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 14

Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil told the Vidhan Sabha during the Question Hour today that the state government would consider raising ex gratia relief to families of martyrs from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.He was replying to a question of Anirudh Singh, Congress MLA from Kusumpti, who suggested that the ex gratia relief should be increased to Rs 20 lakh as given to two jawans from the state who died in the recent Pathankot terror attack and pleaded that the same analogy be applied to other martyrs.Shandil said there were two categories for giving compensation to those who died during war and others who laid down their lives in special operation and the grant was decided on case to case.At this stage, Leader of the Opposition PK Dhumal, who was joined by MLA Inder Singh, said “martyrs are martyrs” and there should be no discrimination in amount of relief.