Eminent Freedom Fighters’ Committee meets in Dehradun Freedom Fighters’ Data Available on Website

Eminent Freedom Fighters’ Committee meets in Dehradun Freedom Fighters’ Data Available on Website.
The Union Home Ministry has taken number of steps to ensure transparency and fairness in processing the cases of pension and other facilities to the freedom fighters or their dependents. This was stated by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Jitendra Singh while chairing the first national level meeting of reconstituted Eminent Freedom Fighters Committee in Dehradun today. He said although data with regard to live Freedom Fighters and their dependants receiving pension through public sector banks have been availabe on the MHA website www.mha.nic.in, the data are being obtained regarding the Freedom fighters and eligible dependents those getting pensions from the state treasuries. After receipt of data, it would be brought to public domain through the website, he said. On this occasion, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister in Uttarakhand Govt. Shri Pritam Singh was also present. Shri Pritam Singh suggested a uniform national policy for facilities to the Freedom Fighters to ensure equitable treatment to those made sacrifice for freedom of the nation.

During the meeting a number of issues concerning the pension and welfare measures of Freedom Fighters were discussed. A follow up action was agreed upon setting up of committee of eminent freedom fighters at state level, complimentary passes to the Freedom Fighters for travel in Duranto, Garib Rath trains and Metro trains, inclusion of widow/divorced daughters, upto maximum three, as eligible dependents for family pension, and merger of a part of Dearness Relief with basic Samman pension. A demand came to the fore for extension of Central Government Health Services (CGHS) facilities to the Freedom Fighters upto the District level. The other issues of agenda were reservation in the educational institutions and for employment for successors of the Freedom Fighters, Chairs to be established for Research oriented work on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Babu Jay Prakash Narayan, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, S.D. Sawarkar, Shree Keshavrao Hedgewar and Shree Pandurang Khankhoje.