Bhubaneswar, May 4 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday directed the state administration to enhance the compassionate assistance amount doled out to the families of soldiers who die on the line of duty to Rs 10 lakh from the current Rs 5 lakh, an official here said.

Patnaik said the assistance was meant for families of valiant Odia soldiers who give up their lives in a war or terrorist-triggered battles.

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The state government constituted a welfare fund for the families of martyrs after the Kargil War. Initially, the amount given was Rs 1 lakh. It was subsequently increased to Rs 2 lakh in 2010, and Rs 5 lakh in 2012, the statement added.

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