Not satisfied with the millions that they rolled in, the high and mighty from the Bollywood and cricket field have lined up for the monthly pension of Rs 50,000 announced by the UP government. Bollywood star and Congress MP, Raj Babbar, his theatre artist wife Nadira, cricketers Suresh Raina, Mohammad Kaif, singer Malini Awasthi, actor Jimmy Shergil, classical singer Girja Devi, noted poet Gopal Das Neeraj and historian Yogesh Praveen, are among the 108 Yash Bharati awardees applying for the pension of Rs 50,000 announced by the UP government.
A senior offical of Department of Culture confirmed that the government has so far received 108 applications. The last date for applying for pension was January 31.
“The department will send the application for budgetary allocations. If government budget allows the budget, all these awardees will be given pension,” the official said. The Yash Bharati awardee gets Rs 11 lakh, a shawl and a citation.
Officials say if all the 108 applicants were given pension, the state exchequer would incur a monthly expense of Rs 54 lakh. The pension is likely to commence from April, 2016. The state government had also announced to provide pension to the Padma awardees but the amount has not been announced so far. Bollywood’s megastar Amitabh Bachchan, his wife Jaya and son Abhishek have refused the pension and instead asked the UP government to distribute the funds to the ‘poor and needy’.
Bachchan Senior and Jaya were conferred UP’s highest honour in 1994 while Abhishek was given the Yash Bharti Samman in 2006. The UP government has announced a life time pension of Rs 50,000 per month to all recipients of the Yash Bharti Samman in October 2015. In comparison, freedom fighters and their spouses are eligible for a monthly pension of Rs 20,129, ex-Andaman political pensioners receive Rs 23,309 a month and unmarried and unemployed daughters of freedom fighters receive Rs 4,770 a month. In all 141 people — who trace their origins to the state—have been awarded the Yash Bharti Samman which was instituted in 1994. Amitabh Bachchan’s father, noted litteratteur Harivansh Rai Bachchan was also conferred the honour in its inaugural year.