Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said that those who were imprisoned for a period of more than a month during Emergency are being given a monthly pension of Rs 10,000, while those who were jailed for a month during that period are getting a pension of Rs 5000 each every month.
Replying to a supplementary question during the question hour in the State Assembly, Fadnavis said that those who were imprisoned during the Emergency would be given pension and a citation. “The pension is more of honour than money,” the Chief Minister said.
Incidentally, Fadnavis made the announcement about pensions being given to those who were imprisoned during the Emergency on the 44th anniversary of the infamous National Emergency that was imposed by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975. Emergency was in existence in India from June 25, 1975 to March 21, 1977.
Fadnavis said that those who were imprisoned for a month during Emergency were being given a monthly pension of Rs 5,000 each, while those jailed for more duration were getting Rs 10,000 each per month. “If those imprisoned are no more, their kin would be given a monthly pension of Rs 2,500 for a prison term of a month or less and Rs 5,000 for a jail term of more than a month,” he said.
However, the chief minister turned down a demand for enhancing the monthly pension from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 made by Subhash Patil of the Peasants and Workers’ Party. He said that the state government would, if necessary, consider enhancement in monthly pension amount in future.
Patil had earlier said that his father had served 18 months’ term in jail during the Emergency and that his family had suffered a lot of hardships during the period. “Those who were behind the bar during the n jail during the Emergency are looking for honour than money. It would be in fitness of things the pension amount is increased to Rs 25,000 and a citation is also given” he had said.
Earlier, responding to a question by NCP leader Ajit Pawar, Minister of State for Relief and Rehabilitation Madan Yerawar said that the State government had received 3,267 applications for pension. “ Out of these, 1,179 applications were approved on the basis of the Rs 100 stamp paper submitted to prove that the applicant served a jail term during the Emergency,” the minister said.
Pawar wanted to know as to how the pension could be given without the beneficiaries furnishing proof and as to what was the guarantee that the stamp paper was genuine.
In reply, Yerawar said the applications were scrutinised by a committee headed by the district collector concerned and only genuine ones were approved. “A budget of Rs 42 crore was finalised for the pension scheme and out of this, Rs 28 crore to Rs 29 crore has been disbursed,” he said.
BJP member Parag Alavani said those were jailed during the Emergency were now senior citizens and they found it difficult to make frequent visits to the district collector’s office. He also disagreed with Pawar’s contention that pension could be availed by merely submitting an affidavit. He rooted for setting up of a separate centre in the district collector’s office to deal with the Emergency pension scheme.
Congress member Basavraj Patil demanded that the monthly pension amount for those who participated in the ‘Marathwada Mukti Sangram’ (liberation of Marathwada) be increased substantially.
Responding to Basavraj Patil’s demand, the chief minister said that pensions for those who took part in the freedom struggles for Goa, Marathwada and India were at par now and had recently been hiked.