Bhubaneswar: Odisha Government today announced an ex-gratia of Rs eight lakh and a job for the next of kin of the Special Police Officer (SPO) who was gunned down by Maoists in Malkangiri district, official sources said.

The slain police personnel Ajit Sodi's family would also get an insurance cover of Rs ten lakh, the sources said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who condemned the killing, also ordered that one member of Sodi's family would also be provided with a job, they said.

Sodi was shot dead while another SPO critically injured by a group of Maoists at a hat in Padia in Malkangiri district in broad daylight today.