Reported by Mrinal Banik
Agartala: The Tripura government has provided permanent employment to 18 family members of people killed in political violence and has recommended 11 more cases for jobs under a state scheme, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Friday.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat, Nath said the state government remains committed to extending employment support to eligible family members of victims of political violence.
He said the state notified the “Scheme for Providing Employment to Members of Families of Persons Killed in Political Violence” on December 23, 2020.
“Initially, the scheme was meant to provide employment to members of families of persons killed in political violence up to March 9, 2018. Later, the state cabinet decided to amend the scheme and remove the words ‘up to March 9, 2018’,” Nath said.
The minister said applications are examined through a prescribed process to determine whether a death qualifies as a political murder. Police reports and other inquiries are conducted to verify claims and identify eligible family members for employment.
A scrutiny committee headed by the minister and comprising representatives from the Law Department, Home Department, Information and Cultural Affairs Department, and Tripura Police examines the cases after all reports are received, he said.
According to Nath, the government has so far received 38 petitions under the scheme.
“Out of the 38 petitions, 18 persons have already been provided jobs, while 11 names have been recommended for employment. Five petitions were rejected as political links could not be established, and four cases are under inquiry,” he said.
The minister said that in several older cases, particularly those dating back to previous administrations, supporting records and police documents were either unavailable or difficult to trace, posing challenges to the verification process.
He said the government does not differentiate between victims on the basis of political affiliation while considering applications under the scheme.
The employment scheme was introduced after the BJP-led government came to power in the state.
The initiative aims to provide government jobs to eligible members of families affected by political violence, subject to verification and scrutiny by the competent authorities.