Andhra CM announces Rs 5 lakh ex gratia for kin of those killed in Pulwama attack

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday announced ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the families of slain Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans.

Around 40 CRPF personnel were killed on Thursday when their convoy was targeted by a suspected suicide bomber of Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pulwama district on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

Naidu, while addressing the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) politburo meeting, said, "The terrorist attack in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir is very painful. It is very sad that 40 CRPF jawans lost their lives in the most dastardly attack. The government of Andhra Pradesh will support all the acts of the central government if India in suppressing the terrorism.”

Expressing contempt over the incident, he said that the central and state governments must adopt and implement strong strategies to prevent such heinous terror acts.

“Indian soldiers are shouldering the responsibility of safeguarding the nation, they are protecting our families. The brave hearts are even sacrificing their lives for our sake and they stand inspiration to all of us. 40 jawans losing their lives is a shock to the nation,” he added.

Naidu also reiterated that everyone should stand by the families of the deceased at this "critical moment." "It is our primary responsibility to extend moral support to those families. We cannot weigh the lives of those soldiers with some financial aid. However, we cannot ignore extending our support.”

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced government jobs to one family member each of the two CRPF personnel from Tamil Nadu who lost their lives in the deadly terror attack.

This comes a day after the Tamil Nadu government announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh each to the families of CRPF personnel from the state who lost their lives in the attack.

The convoy of 78 buses, in which around 2500 CRPF personnel were travelling from Jammu to Srinagar, came under attack at around 3.15 pm at Ladhu Modi Lethpora.

Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the attack.