NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has decided to reduce the amount given to its personnel who get infected with the coronavirus while on duty from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10,000 after the number of infections increased rapidly in the force, officials said on Thursday. They said over 250 police personnel have been infected with the virus.
In April, when 25-30 policemen were infected, the Delhi police had decided to give Rs 1 lakh from the Delhi Police Welfare Society to the personnel, according to officials.
“A meeting was held recently and it was decided that the sanction amount should be reduced. A lot of policemen are getting infected with the virus and the amount has to be distributed equally in such cases. So a decision was taken to reduce the amount from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10,000,” a senior police officer said.
Most policemen are treated at government hospitals and the department helps them with medicines and treatment, he said.Meanwhile, the amount given to the family of a police official who dies of COVID-19 has been increased from Rs 7 lakhs to Rs 10 lakh, he added.
The move came after a Delhi police constable, posted in Bharat Nagar police station of Northwest district, died due of COVID-19. Several Delhi Police personnel who were deployed around the city at pickets and outside containment zones have tested positive for the virus.
With agency inputs