Kolkata: The state Finance Department has introduced a significant and welcome change to the death gratuity rules for state government employees. According to a newly issued notification from the Pension Branch of the Finance department, married daughters have now been officially granted the legal right to be included in the list of eligible family members to receive death gratuity benefits.
Exercising the powers conferred by the proviso to Article 309 of the Constitution of India, the Governor has amended the West Bengal Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefit) Rules, 1971.
This amendment specifically substitutes a sub-clause under rule 7 to broaden the definition of “family” for the purpose of death gratuity.
The newly updated list of recognised relatives now officially adds “married daughters” as the eighth category of eligible recipients. The complete list of eligible family members now includes: the wife (for a male officer) or husband (for a female officer), sons, including stepsons, unmarried, widowed, and divorced daughters, including stepdaughters, brothers below the age of 18 years and unmarried or widowed sisters, father and mother and married daughters.
A highly crucial aspect of this notification is a special note aimed at resolving long-pending administrative hurdles.
The order explicitly states that any undisposed cases concerning divorced or married daughters, where the employee’s death occurred prior to this notification coming into force, can now be considered and disposed of by the respective administrative departments in light of these new rules.
“This directive is expected to resolve numerous pending claims and provide much-needed financial relief to the families of deceased employees,” said a Nabanna official.