Bhubaneswar, 04 September (H.S.): The Odisha Government has issued new guidelines for providing financial assistance to students in the event of accidents, with the provisions applicable to students studying from Shishu Vatika to Class XII.

Under the new guidelines, financial assistance of ₹2 lakh will be provided in cases of death or disability resulting from an accident. In addition, ₹30,000 will be provided for shifting a student to another hospital for advanced medical treatment, while ₹10,000 will be available towards transportation expenses. Students requiring treatment will also be provided free medical care at government hospitals.

In the event of a student’s death, the ex-gratia assistance will be paid to the mother or father. If both parents are not available, the assistance will be provided to a guardian identified by the District Collector.

The guidelines stipulate that approval from the headmaster/headmistress, District Collector, District Education Officer (DEO) and Block Education Officer (BEO) will be mandatory for release of the assistance.

To ensure timely support to affected families, the government has directed that the sanctioned assistance be disbursed to the eligible parent or guardian within 24 hours of approval.

The new provisions are aimed at ensuring prompt financial and medical support to students and their families in the aftermath of accidents.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda