Freedom fighters, their kin getting meagre pension in Punjab

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 14

Though the Congress government had made many promises in the Assembly election manifesto, there seems to be no end to the wait of freedom fighters and their kin in Punjab for getting a hike in the meagre pension.

In the state, there are 1,021 eligible beneficiaries under the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme, but they get just Rs 7,500 monthly pension under the scheme. This pension was hiked way back in 2014, said Veerendra Kumar Meena, Principal Secretary, Freedom Fighters Department.

Interestingly, in the neighbouring Haryana, the pension is Rs 30,000. Before coming to power, the Congress had made lofty promises to freedom fighters in its election manifesto. It had planned to hike the pension to Rs 15,000 three years back, but nothing was done. Even poorer states like Odisha pay more pension to their freedom fighters.

Punjab had played an important role during the country’s freedom movement. Just after the Independence, the Government of India recognised 34,000 men and women from Punjab as freedom fighters. Over 2,000 laid down their lives in a long struggle for Independence. Of them, only a few survived. Now, the pension is being given to their eligible kin.