ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday promulgated an ordinance to amend the Federal Employees Benevolent Fund and Group Insurance Act 1969 , which entitles a person to receive benevolent grant for life if removed from the government service after declaring physically or mentally unfit.

The amendment has been made in Section 13 of the act which suggests that after the first day of December 2003, an employee if declared by the prescribed medical authority to have been completely unfit, physically or mentally, to carry out his duties and for that reason is retired or removed from the service, he shall be entitled to receive the benevolent grant till death.

The spouse of an employee who dies during the continuance of his employment or during retirement before attaining the age of 70 years, will also be entitled to receive the grant for life.

In case the deceased employee has no spouse, other members of his family will be entitled to receive the benevolent grant from the fund for 15 years or up to the date when the deceased employee would have attained the age of 70 years.

The beneficiaries whose grant period has not expired on Nov 30, 2003, will be entitled to an increase equal to 20 per cent of the grant sanctioned under the rules with effect from the first day of December 2003, for the remaining period of the grant.