The Captain Amarinder Singh led Punjab Cabinet on Thursday gave ex-post facto approval for jobs to 104 legal heirs of farmers and farm labourers who have died during the ongoing agitation against the Centre’s farm laws.

The CM directed the concerned departments to give any further relaxation needed to ensure that the next of kin of all such deceased protestors are provided employment.

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Amarinder said he wanted “the family members of all Punjab farmers sacrificing their lives in the stir against the draconian laws to be accommodated in government jobs”.

The Cabinet earlier authorised the CM to make any further changes in rules, while approving relaxations to candidates who were not covered under the Punjab government policy dated 21 November 2002, relating to compassionate appointments.

The said policy is applicable to Government employees and those persons who have died fighting for the security of the nation. The cases of the legal heirs of farmers and farm labourers who have died during the farmers’ agitation against the farm laws were not covered by the policy, necessitating relaxation.

With the Cabinet decision, the deceased farmers’ mother, father, married brother, married sister, married daughter, daughter-in-law, grandson, granddaughter, next of kin (NoK) etc, as recommended by the concerned deputy commissioner, would be eligible for employment as a one-time measure.

A Committee was constituted under the chairmanship of principal secretary personnel to consider the issue. This Committee had, on 26 July, 2021, considered the cases of 104 candidates and recommended employment to the eligible candidates. In this regard, a letter has been issued by the revenue department.

An official spokesperson said in the midst of a lockdown due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the three laws caused a huge outcry among the farmers and farm labourers across the state. A large number of small and marginal farmers took part in this agitation. The farmers are still agitating on the borders of Delhi.

“A number of farmers and farmworkers have lost their lives while protesting in the cold and inclement weather conditions on roads and under the open sky. Taking note of the problems and hardships being faced by them, the Punjab government has already provided ex-gratia aid of Rs Five lakh to the families of the farmers and farmworkers who have died during the agitation,” the spokesperson said.