IAS officers to ‘adopt’ families of those killed in Naxal action

In a fresh initiative, Indian Administrative Service officers will adopt families of security personnel killed in Naxalite attacks to ensure that their children get a good education and other family members get the financial assistance that is due to them under the government's compensatory policy in a timely manner.

An association of IAS officers from across the country decided that each officer will adopt one family of the security personnel (defence, central armed police forces and state police) who died in action against Maoist insurgents and support them for five to 10 years.

''The adopted family would preferably be from the state (cadre) to which the officer belongs. The officer will not be required to provide any direct financial assistance to the adopted family, but support and hand-hold its members on a sustained basis so that they live with a sense of security and assurance that the country is taking care of them in their hour of crisis and tragedy," said Sanjay Bhoosreddy, honorary secretary of the Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association.

Initially, about 600 to 700 young officers of the past four batches (2012 to 2015) will be asked to adopt at least one family in the area of their posting. The officers (mostly at the sub-divisional magistrate, additional district magistrate or district magistrate level) will approach such families within their area of posting and offer themselves as facilitators to help them get their dues.

These include pension, gratuity, or allotment of means of income like petrol pump, jobs or assist their children in getting school admission or getting them trained in specific skills under the government's Skill India or Digital India programmes.

If the dependent family members are interested in starting a business or a start-up, the IAS officers will also help them out through financial institutions.