Govt doubles honorarium amount to those jailed during Emergency

Indian Express

3 hours ago

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday doubled the honorarium provided to those who were imprisoned during the Emergency period.
The decision, taken during a cabinet meeting, came ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Emergency — the period from June 25, 1975 to March 31, 1977.
According to the cabinet decision, if an eligible beneficiary has died, the surviving spouse will get half the amount.
The government also removed the earlier condition that those applying for the pension must have been at least 18 years old at the time of arrest during the Emergency.
The monthly honorarium to those imprisoned during the time of the Emergency was introduced by the then Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government in 2018.
Currently, 4,301 people in the state receive the pension and the expenditure for the same is Rs 39.01 crore.
Those who stayed in jail for less than a month were given Rs 5,000 per month, while those who stayed more than a month were given Rs 10,000.
The new cabinet decision has doubled these amounts.
In case of death of a beneficiary, the surviving spouse will have to apply afresh to the district collector concerned for the honorarium.
Also, if the person who underwent imprisonment during the Emergency was not alive before January 2, 2018, his or her spouse will be able to apply for honorarium by attaching an affidavit.
The deadline for this will be 90 days from the date of announcement.