Govt. to grant interim allowance to families of missing persons

By Sandunn A Jayasekera

The government is to pay a monthly allowance of Rs. 6,000 to families of missing persons who have been issued with a ‘Death Certificate’ on behalf of the missing persons with immediate effect recognising the need to expedite the commitments undertaken by the Government.   

A spokesman of the Ministry of Finance said granting a monthly allowance of Rs. 6000 was an interim relief measure to the families of the missing persons including families of security forces and police personnel who went missing in action, upon their obtaining a Certificate of Absence(CoA), as recommended by the Office on Missing Persons (OMP).   This recommendation proposed by the OMP in its interim report published in August 2018 and included in the 2019 Budget, received the approval
of Parliament.   

If the CoA was obtained before 1 January 2019, an accumulated sum of Rs. 54,000 will be paid in October. If the CoA is obtained after 1 January 2019, the accumulation will be calculated from the month in which the certificate was obtained

As at 31 July 2019, the Registrar General’s Department has issued 656 CoAs, out of which 590 were issued before 1 January 2019. The recipients of the CoAs shall be eligible to receive the Rs. 6,000 monthly allowance. The Ministry under which the Office on Missing Persons is gazetted in consultation with the OMP will issue application to all CoA recipients, to which clearance and certification shall be provided by the Grama Niladhari, confirming the CoA produced is valid at the time of application.   

If the CoA was obtained before 1 January 2019, an accumulated sum of Rs. 54,000 will be paid in October. If the CoA is obtained after 1 January 2019, the accumulation will be calculated from the month in which the certificate was obtained. However, after the initial amount is credited in October 2019, the monthly allowance of Rs. 6,000 will be deposited to the account of the recipient, on the 10th day of each following month.   

To expedite the process, the government will recruit 20 project staffers, for a period of  one year, on contract basis shortly on a monthly allowance of Rs. 75,000 and to assist the Registrar
General’s Department.   

A spokesman of the Ministry of Finance said granting a monthly allowance of Rs. 6000 was an interim relief measure to the families of the missing persons