Dubbing Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) detainees as "democracy warriors" the Madhya Pradesh government today hiked their monthly honorarium from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000.
Besides, it also enhanced the pension of freedom fighters from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000.
In reply to a debate on the supplementary proposals of the Budget for 2017-18, the General Administration Department Minister of State Lal Singh Arya informed the assembly that the government has decided to respectfully call MISA detainees as "Loktantra Senani" (democracy warrior).
"We have hiked the monthly pension of "Loktantra Senanis" and freedom fighters from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000.
He said that MP has 2,604 Loktantra Senanis and 750 freedom fighters.
Earlier in the day, the Congress members opposed the proposal related to the MISA detainees and sought to know the number of such beneficiaries.
Taking a potshot at the government, they said that just a handful of such freedom fighters might be alive in the state and questioned the prudence of the ruling regime to go for a pension hike.
With this, MP ruled by BJP has virtually equated MISA detainees with freedom fighters.
The is the second time that the MP Assembly has raised the honorarium or pension to MISA detainees.
Earlier, in December 2011, the honorarium was raised from Rs 6,000 to Rs 15,000.
Some BJP ruled states too pay such honorarium to MISA detainees who were jailed during the 21-month-long emergency imposed in 1975.
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