Hry govt to give Rs 10,000 monthly pension to "sufferers" of Emergency

The BJP government in Haryana will give a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 to those residents of the state who were "sufferers" and were imprisoned during the days of Emergency between June 1975 to March 1977, the state Cabinet decided here today.

The Cabinet met here this evening under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The Cabinet approved the Haryana State Shubhra Jyotsna Pension and Other Facilities Scheme, 2018, which will be applicable from November 1, 2017, an official release said.

"Under the scheme, a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 will be given to those residents of Haryana who had actively participated during the period of emergency, that is from June 25,1975 to March 21,1977 and had faced imprisonment under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), 1971 and Defence of India Act, 1962.

"Apart from this, those people who did not have Haryana domicile, but were arrested in Haryana and jailed in the state during Emergency would also be entitled for the pension," the release said.

Citing the cabinet decision, it said those residents of Haryana who had struggled during the period of Emergency and faced imprisonment even for one day under MISA Act or Defence of India Act, 1972 and rules framed there under shall be eligible to avail the benefit of the scheme.

It said the policy shall also be applicable to widows of such persons.

"The beneficiary shall have to produce a jail certificate for the same issued by the Jail Superintendent concerned and countersigned by District Magistrate. In case any such person is unable to produce the jail certificate due to record missing or being unavailable, he may produce certificate from two co-prisoners. Such certificate of co-prisoners must be authenticated by an MLA or MP of the concerned district," it said.

Such Emergency sufferers will have to open an Aadhaar linked saving bank account in any nationalized bank to transfer the amount of pension to their bank accounts and have to give a 'life certificate' in the month of January every year as is being followed in the case of other pensioners, it said.

"Emergency sufferers who are getting pension or honorarium of any kind from any other State Government will also be eligible. However, if an otherwise eligible Emergency sufferer is getting pension from any other State Government for the same purpose of an amount less than Rs 10,000 per month, the entitlement of pension under this scheme would be reduced by that amount," it said.

The pension shall be cancelled in case of conviction by the Court on charges of moral turpitude or for providing false information or affidavit, the release added.