Odisha Govt Declares 13 Deceased Teachers As COVID Warriors

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has declared 13 deceased teachers as COVID warriors, said School and Mass Education minister Samir Ranjan Dash on Wednesday.

The minister, while announcing the results of the annual Plus II Commerce examination, said 13 of 62,000 teachers engaged in COVID-19 duty have succumbed to the virus. “The state government is concerned for the family of Simanchal Satpathy as his parents committed suicide soon after his death. Efforts are on to provide financial and other assistance to his family members to sustain their livelihood in accordance with the CM’s directive,” he added.

In case of the remaining 12 teachers, financial assistance will be provided to their family as per the circular of the Finance Department issued on August 4.

The minister also informed that the officials of his department had personally gone to the house of the 12 deceased teachers on Tuesday night and declared them as COVID warriors.

“Although this is a tragic incident, my Department feels proud of these teachers who have sacrificed their lives in the relentless fight against the killer virus,” he added.