Emergency pension scheme restored in Maharashtra; Check pension amount

The Maharashtra government on Thursday restored the Emergency pension scheme which was discontinued by the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray led government. The Emergency pension scheme covers political activists who were jailed during the Emergency in 1975.

The scheme was originally introduced by the Devendra Fadnavis government in 2018. Activists who had protested against the Emergency imposed by the then PM Indira Gandhi were given financial support by the government under the scheme.

- आणीबाणीच्या कालावधीत ज्या व्यक्तींना बंदिवास सोसावा लागला, अशा व्यक्तींचा सन्मान / यथोचित गौरव करण्याची (दिनांक ३१ जुलै, २०२० रोजी बंद करण्यात आलेली ) योजना पुन्हा सुरु करणार
(सामान्य प्रशासन विभाग)

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) July 14, 2022

The scheme was scrapped by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government (an alliance of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) in 2020.

The pension amount ranges from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 depending upon the jail term of activists during Emergency between 1975 and 1977.

Anyone who underwent imprisonment for less than a month or up to a month would get Rs 5,000, while those who were jailed for three months and above would get Rs 10,000.

Media interaction after the Cabinet Meeting today.#Maharashtra #CabinetDecisions https://t.co/HYgCPpHsY6

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) July 14, 2022

"Several people were jailed because they protested for reinstating democracy. My own father was in jail for two years," Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai.

He added that the activists who protested against the Emergency belonged to the RSS, Jan Sangh and some political parties.