Lucknow, Oct. 14 -- Turning tragedy into hope for thousands of rural families, the Panchayat Kalyan Kosh, created under the panchayati raj department, has in just three years provided over Rs 136 crore to 3,866 families of deceased panchayat representatives. As Uttar Pradesh prepares for the next panchayat elections due in April-May 2026, this little-known welfare scheme has emerged as a model of compassionate governance. As per the 2021 panchayat polls, Uttar Pradesh has nearly eight lakh elected representatives in its three-tier panchayati raj system. Most of them work without regular salaries or notable perks, leaving their families financially vulnerable in the event of death. For instance, when Rekha Devi, a gram sabha member of Khiri village panchayat under Koraon block in Prayagraj, died in 2023, she left behind two small sons and a marriageable daughter, Pooja. Her husband had passed away earlier, leaving the family without any earning member. With no means to arrange Pooja's wedding, the family's hopes revived when the Uttar Pradesh government's scheme came to their rescue. As a dependent, Pooja received Rs 2 lakh from the government, which her guardian and maternal uncle Pintu Kumar used to solemnise her marriage in April 2024. "The Rs 2 lakh assistance made it possible for us to marry Pooja off without any inconvenience. Now she is happily married," Kumar told HT over phone. In another village, Rukmini, 70, a kshetra panchayat member of Miyaganj block in Unnao, died of cardiac arrest in 2022. Her son, Udan Singh, came to know about the government's welfare scheme and applied for aid. About a year ago, Rs 3 lakh was credited to his account. He decided to use the amount for community service. "In our village, Naihai, there is no vehicle available to rush a patient to a hospital in an emergency. I have set the amount aside to buy a van for this purpose," he said. "Such stories are becoming increasingly common as the scheme reaches out to bereaved families across the state," director, panchayati raj, Amit Kumar Singh said. In barely three years, the government has disbursed Rs 136.22 crore to 3,866 beneficiaries, giving many rural households a vital lifeline after the loss of a breadwinner, he added. The scheme was announced by chief minister Yogi Aditayanth on December 15, 2021. Under the scheme, dependents of village pradhans, kshetra panchayat chiefs and zila panchayat chairpersons are entitled to an assistance of Rs 10 lakh each on natural and in-office death of an elected head while families of members, zila panchayat get Rs 5 lakh each. Similarly, the families of kshetra panchayat members and gram panchayat members get a financial assistance of Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh each, respectively. The assistance has been scaled according to the position held by the deceased representative. More than 48 % of the total ex gratia funds have gone to the families of deceased village pradhans alone in the last three years. "Within last three years, families of 665 deceased village pradhans received Rs 66.50 crore, families of two kshetra panchayat chiefs got Rs 20 lakh, families of 15 zila panchayat members received Rs 75 lakh, families of 509 kshetra panchayat members received Rs 15.27 crore and families of 2,675 deceased gram panchayat members received Rs 53.50 crore (Rs 2 lakh each)," joint director, panchayati raj Yogendra Katiyar said. "A total of 3,866 bereaved families have benefitted so far," he added. The scheme aims to provide one-time financial assistance to the dependents of elected panchayat representatives who die while in office. Applications are submitted online through the state's Panchayati Raj Finance Portal (prdfinance.up.gov.in) with required documents such as death certificates, medical practitioner reports, and identity proofs. District panchayat raj officers verify the applications before forwarding them to the Directorate of Panchayati Raj, which approves and directly transfers the funds to beneficiaries' bank accounts. "Beyond the numbers, the scheme's social impact has been far-reaching. Families have avoided distress sales of land, married daughters with dignity, and continued the education of children without interruption. Some have even turned the one-time aid into seed capital for small enterprises such as tea stalls, grocery shops, and tailoring units, thus converting loss into self-reliance,"said Ashwini Singh, consultant to the panchayat department....