CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh announced today an ex-gratia of Rs 12 lakh for the next of kin of Naib Subedar Paramjeet Singh who was killed in a barbaric assault by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
The chief minister will also visit the martyr's native village in Tarn Taran district on May 7 and has asked his cabinet colleague Rana Gurjit Singh to meet the bereaved family before that.
The family members of the deceased soldier had questioned the absence of the chief Minister and other senior representatives of his government at his cremation ceremony today.
His elder brother Ranjit Singh was critical of the government, saying that barring the area MLA "who turned up at the last moment for the cremation, the rest had stayed away".
"My brother has sacrificed his life for the nation and not for his family. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh should have been here today, he has served in the Army and should know the pain we are going through. Not just him, but nobody from the government found time to be with us in this hour of grief," he told reporters at his native village in Tarn Taran district.
According to a government spokesperson here, of the Rs 12 lakh amount Rs five lakhs in cash and a plot worth the same amount would be given to Singh's wife and children, Rs 2 lakh would be presented to his parents.
Besides, a suitable government job would be given to the next of kin of the martyred soldier and his children would get free education for degree courses at one of the nine Sainik Institutes of Management and Technology in the state, the spokesperson said.
The chief minister also sanctioned Rs one lakh, through the Red Cross, for renaming the local government rest house in Naib Subedar Paramjeet Singh's name.
Local administration officials, including the Deputy Commissioner, SDM and SSP had attended the cremation of the martyred soldier, who was laid to rest with full military honours after his body was flown from Poonch to his native village in a helicopter, the spokesperson said.
Director Defence Services, Punjab Welfare Brig (retd) JS Arora and Deputy GoC Panther Division Amritsar Brig Sushil Sharma were among the senior Army officers present at the sombre ceremony.
A Pakistani special forces team had yesterday sneaked 250 metres across the Line of Control (LoC) into the Poonch sector and beheaded two Indian security personnel.
Paramjeet Singh, who was a native of village Veinpoin in Tarn Taran, belonged to 22 Sikh Regiment.
Expressing profound grief and deep anguish at the incident, Amarinder said the entire country was indebted to this brave-heart.