Among the hundreds who lost their lives in the destructive second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India this year were six employees of the Rajya Sabha secretariat. As a mark of goodwill and to assist the families, the secretariat collected Rs 21 lakh, which was distributed to the next of kin of the deceased on Friday. Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu handed out the cheques to the six families while lauding this effort by secretariat officials. The six employees who died during the pandemic had put in 21 to 34 years of service at the secretariat.
An outpouring of severe symptomatic cases during the second Covid wave claimed many lives this year, while clogging the healthcare system, with hospitals complaining of lack of medical supplies, including oxygen.
While empathising with the families who lost their loved ones and their earning members, Naidu also checked with them about their sources of income and if all retirement benefits of the deceased had been settled.
Appreciating the step taken by the officials of the secretariat, the Vice President said, “This gesture is in line with the Indian ethos of caring and sharing in the hour of distress.”
The six victims of the pandemic were Sukhvinder Singh and K Vijaya Kumar, both private secretaries, Neel Kanth and Bhupendra Singh, both senior chamber attendants, Vijaya Laxmi Sharma, deputy director (security) and Ashok Kumar Sahoo, director.
Since the second wave of Covid, the Vice President has laid special emphasis on getting vaccinated. As per the records, all the staff of the Rajya Sabha secretariat and all members of Parliament have received the shots.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment