Bhubaneswar, July 17: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led state government in Odisha on Friday announced that it will provide financial assistance for the kin of Anganwadi and ASHA workers, who died while on COVID-19 duty in the state. It said that a monthly pension of Rs 7,500 would be provided to the spouse or kin of deceased Anganwadi worker, while the amount would be Rs 5000/month for ASHA workers' kin.

Issuing an official notification, the state government said, as quoted by news agency ANI, "Spouse/next of kin of deceased Anganwadi worker, who succumbs to #COVID19 in line of duty under active deployment, shall continue to receive Rs 7,500 per month till the date they would have attained the age of 60 years had they survived." Odisha Government Announces 14-day Complete Lockdown in 4 High Caseload Districts.

Apart from this, the state government added, "Spouse/next of kin of deceased ASHA workers, who succumbs to COVID-19 in line of duty under active deployment, shall continue to receive Rs 5,000 per month till the date they would have attained the age of 60 years had they survived."

Here's what the state government said:

Earlier on Thursday, the Odisha government announced a complete 14-day lockdown in parts of the state starting from Friday 9 pm, amid the rise in coronavirus cases in the state. As per the Union Health Ministry website, a total of 15,392 cases have been confirmed, out of which 10,877 recovered while 79 died.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 17, 2020 04:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).