Kin of those who died in Gulf demand ex-gratia

Telangana Gulf Workers Joint Action Committee Chairman Guggilla Ravi Goud said their efforts and agitation would continue till they got justice.

Karimnagar: Family members of persons who died in various Gulf countries during the last 10 years, have come forward demanding that the State government provide ex-gratia to them.

This is after the Congress government launched the Rs.5 lakh Gulf Ex gratia Scheme and issued guidelines on October 16. According to the guidelines, migrant labourers who died only on or after December 7, 2023, are eligible for the scheme. However, family members of labourers who died before the above said date, are unhappy with the State government’s decision. Though they have been making rounds around Ministers, MLAs and government machinery for the ex gratia, they are unable to get the eligibility with the State government’s condition.

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When he was in the opposition, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had promised to do justice to these families. However, he changed his voice after coming to power, the fmailies said.

According to government records, a total of 160 labourers from the State died in various Gulf countries after December 7. However, about 2000 migrant workers died in the last 10 years after the formation of Telangana. Another 1,500 workers died in the Congress party’s 10 year regime before Telangana formation.

The Gulf JAC, a forum of the relatives of those who work in Gulf countries, wants the government to provide ex-gratia to all 3,500 deceased families on humanitarian grounds. If it was not Rs.5 lakh, the families should be provided at least Rs.1 lakh to Rs.2 lakh, it said.

Even each family was given Rs 1 lakh each, the government would have to spend Rs 35 crore, which was not a big ask for the State government, they said, requesting their plea to be considered on humanitarian grounds.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Boyapalli Laxmi, wife of a worker who died in the Gulf, from Sangem of Korutla mandal, said she along with Gulf JAC leaders had met Revanth Reddy when he was in the opposition. He had promised justice, but when he came to power, he fixed a cut-off date for eligibility, thus making many ineligible for what he himself had promised.

Laxmi’s husband Bhumaiah died on August 10, 2022, she said.

Telangana Gulf Workers Joint Action Committee Chairman Guggilla Ravi Goud said their efforts and agitation would continue till they got justice.