Siddaramaiah demands convening special assembly session to discuss Karnataka flood situation
Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Sunday demanded convening a special assembly session to discuss the flood situation in Karnataka, which has been hit thrice by deluge in the last three months.
In a series of tweets, the leader of opposition alleged that its a triple whammy for the people of the state who are facing rain-havoc, COVID-19 pandemic and corruption in the BJP-led government.
"Farmers are miserable due to floods during the last few months. They have lost their houses and cattle.
"The chief minister of Karnataka should immediately convene an assembly session to discuss the same," Siddaramaiah said in it.
Noting that the people of the state were already suffering due to floods and the pandemic, the former chief minister said they also have to bear the brunt of alleged corrupt practices of the Karnataka BJP.
In this regard, he said the assembly would be an appropriate forum to discuss all these issues.
Approximately 6.5 lakh acres of crops have been damaged and more than 1,700 houses have been destroyed, he claimed.
Accusing the state and the central governments of not giving compensation to the flood-affected people, Siddaramaiah said the farmers cannot get their due share if the Centre's guidelines were followed.
The Congress leader also claimed that the victims of last year's deluge have not yet received compensation. This is the third time floods have hit the northern parts of Karnataka in the last three months.
The government has said that 136 villages have been badly affected, while 247 are in the vulnerable condition. As many as 43,158 people were evacuated to safety, while about 38,000 people were staying in the 205 relief camps.
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Legal heirs can claim reimbursement if govt employee dies during treatment: Allahabad HC
Lucknow (PTI): The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Saturday said that if a government employee or pensioner dies during treatment or becomes incapable of making a claim, his legal heirs can also claim reimbursement of medical expenses.
The bench of Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai passed the verdict on the petition of Chandra Choor Singh.
The petitioner's father was a retired deputy registrar. He was treated at private hospitals in Lucknow, where he passed away during treatment. The petitioner applied for reimbursement of medical expenses, but the department rejected the claim, stating that only the "beneficiary" can make a claim under the rules.
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The state government argued that under the Uttar Pradesh Government Servants (Medical Attendance) Rules, 2011, a claim can only be made by a beneficiary, and the petitioner did not fall within this category. It also cited the limit of Rs 5,000 set out in the succession certificate submitted by the petitioner.
The court rejected this argument of the state government, stating that the provisions of Rule 16 of the Rules, 2011, were arbitrary and violated Article 14 of the Constitution. The court held that if a beneficiary dies or becomes incapable of making a claim, his or her legal heirs cannot be deprived of this right.
Applying the principle of "reading down", the Court directed that Rule 16 be interpreted to include legal heirs, especially when there is no other eligible beneficiary.
The court also clarified that if there is no dispute about being an heir, it is not appropriate to reject the claim merely on technical grounds.
Ultimately, the court directed the concerned authority to reconsider the petitioner's claim and take a decision within two months, and if the claim is found to be correct, payment should be ensured within one month.
