BHUBANESWAR: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri has requested the state government to declare its employees as Covid warriors and extend benefits to them as per the existing government policy.
The SJTA has over 450 employees, including many contractual staff engaged by outsourced firms.
The state government has a policy of providing ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh to the kin of Covid warriors who die of Covid-19 while discharging the duty.
The government has acknowledged the healthcare workers, frontline workers and anyone (either government or private persons) engaged in Covid duty as Covid warriors.
“The SJTA employees are involved in discharging various duties during this Covid pandemic.
They look after the Covid-infected servitors and their family members in the institutional isolation facility (IIF) at Nilachal Bhakta Niwas.
The temple employees also assist the medical teams in vaccination of sevayats and employees,” read SJTA’s chief administrator Krishan Kumar’s proposal to the additional chief secretary (health) Pradipta Mohapatra.
Kumar also drew Mohapatra’s attention to the risk of the SJTA employees of contracting the virus while facilitating the daily rituals of the deities of the 12th century Jagannath temple.
“They (SJTA employees) are continuously exposed to members of the public while assisting in the performance of nitis (rituals) inside and outside the temple.
They also take care of the boarding, lodging and accommodation of Ratha Khala sevaks, who have been engaged in construction of chariots for the forthcoming Rath Yatra,” Kumar said in the letter.
Kumar said the Covid warrior tag should be accorded to the SJTA employees in view of their exposure to the virus.
“Two personnel of Jagannath Temple Police (JTP), Pruthimanyu Dash (58) and Pramod Kumar Dash (59) succumbed to Covid-19 in April.
The two personnel may be provided necessary financial assistance as per the Covid warrior policy,” Kumar said.