New Delhi, Aug 27 (PTI) Coal India Ltd will pay an ex-gratia of Rs 15 lakh to the next of kin of employees, including those on contract, who die due to coronavirus infection.

The state-owned miner's board approved the proposal during its meeting earlier this month.

Also Read | Sony PlayStation 5 Invite-Only Online Registrations Now Open.

There are around four lakh workers on roll and on contract at the company.

"The board of directors of CIL... accorded the approval of payment of ex-gratia of Rs 15 lakh to the next of kin of employees of CIL and its subsidiaries including contract workers dying due to COVID-19 w.e.f March 24, 2020," CIL said in an official order.

Also Read | Realme 7 & Realme 7 Pro Smartphones to Be Launched in India on September 3, 2020.

Earlier, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi had said that demise of any CIL employee due to COVID-19 will be treated as an accidental death and that the kin of the workers will get the same financial benefits as they get in the case of accidental death during duty.

For disbursement of the above benefit, submission of death certificate from state government authorities would be required, the CIL order said.

The dependency criteria will be adopted as being followed for payment of ex-gratia amount of Rs 15 lakh to the eligible dependent of non-executive cadre employees, including contractor workers, dying due to fatal mine accident as certified by the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), it said.

"The ex-gratia amount would not be paid in case of an employee/ contract worker...on long unauthorised absence," as per the order.

CIL accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)