Bhubaneswar, Jan. 7: The Odisha government has included rape victims in its scheme for providing compensation to the sufferers.

Official sources said the rape victims were excluded from the Odisha Victim Compensation scheme, which was notified in July last year. The central government had formulated the scheme to extend financial assistance to the rape victims. As the central scheme is yet to be implemented, the state government has modified its scheme in December to include the rape victims, said a senior official of home department.

Under the scheme, a person, who has suffered any loss or injury as a result of any crime and requires rehabilitation, is considered as a “victim” and will be entitled to financial compensation.

In case of a death, the family members of a deceased will get a maximum financial assistance up to Rs 1.5 lakh.

The State Legal Services Authority will pay the compensation to the victim or dependents out of the fund.

In another development, a tribal minor girl in Rayagada, who was allegedly gang raped by three youths on January 2, tried to immolate herself on January 3. She was rushed to hospital.

Yesterday, after regaining her senses, she alleged that while she was returning home, three youths had raped her. The girl, who has lost her parents and is living with her grandmother, was working in a photo shop.

In her statement before a magistrate, the girl said she had attempted to kill herself fearing public humiliation. The victim was today shifted to Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh for further treatment as her condition became critical.

The district administration announced that the government would bear the cost of her treatment. Police arrested the three accused within hours of receiving the complaint.

In protest against the incident, school and college students of Rayagada today took out a rally. Demanding exemplary punishment for the accused, the students demanded adequate security for women. Expressing their solidarity with the victim, lawyers of Rayagada district have decided not to defend the three alleged culprits.