‘Freedom fighters racket’ troubles ministry of home
25 Aug 2014 4:18 AM IST
Concerned over the increasing trend of such claims mainly from southern parts of India, the union home ministry has already alerted all the concerned agencies and the state governments to take punitive measures against those who involved in fabricating documents to claim the benfits.
Recently, the central government has received 322 claims for CSP from across the nation in less than 212 days. After going through the entire claimant’s file, only four persons were found eligible for pension scheme.
The figure has raised several questions about an alleged racket and grew suspicion among the officials of the home ministry. It is yet to be ascertained if 318 of the 322 claimants are actually involved in the racket or accidentally became victims of mischievous activities of racketeers. But it was official that they do not fulfill the eligibility conditions and failed to substantiate their claims through evidentiary requirements to avail the benefits.
A document issued by the MHA reads, ‘In between January to June, 2014, 320 claims for CSP have been examined. Out of that, the pension has been denied in 318 cases on the grounds that the claimants do not fulfill the eligibility conditions and evidentiary requirements prescribed in the scheme.’
Meanwhile, the ministry has sent all the files, which were rejected for a thorough investigation to find out whether the documents submitted by them are fake or not. They have also alerted prison departments in all states, which were part of the freedom struggle to find out the names of people — to ascertain whether they were lodged during the mentioned months and years or not — in their old files as claimed by the claimant in their documents.
The pension schemes for the freedom fighters are in existence for the last 42 years in India. Those who are availing the benefits of the scheme are entitled to free railway passes in II AC in Rajdhani, Chair Car in Shatabdi or Janshatabdi and 1st Class or AC II Tier of all other trains for themselves and widows along with an attendant for life among other things.
Recently, the central government has received 322 claims for CSP from across the nation in less than 212 days. After going through the entire claimant’s file, only four persons were found eligible for pension scheme.
The figure has raised several questions about an alleged racket and grew suspicion among the officials of the home ministry. It is yet to be ascertained if 318 of the 322 claimants are actually involved in the racket or accidentally became victims of mischievous activities of racketeers. But it was official that they do not fulfill the eligibility conditions and failed to substantiate their claims through evidentiary requirements to avail the benefits.
A document issued by the MHA reads, ‘In between January to June, 2014, 320 claims for CSP have been examined. Out of that, the pension has been denied in 318 cases on the grounds that the claimants do not fulfill the eligibility conditions and evidentiary requirements prescribed in the scheme.’
Meanwhile, the ministry has sent all the files, which were rejected for a thorough investigation to find out whether the documents submitted by them are fake or not. They have also alerted prison departments in all states, which were part of the freedom struggle to find out the names of people — to ascertain whether they were lodged during the mentioned months and years or not — in their old files as claimed by the claimant in their documents.
The pension schemes for the freedom fighters are in existence for the last 42 years in India. Those who are availing the benefits of the scheme are entitled to free railway passes in II AC in Rajdhani, Chair Car in Shatabdi or Janshatabdi and 1st Class or AC II Tier of all other trains for themselves and widows along with an attendant for life among other things.
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