People jailed during Emergency will get freedom fighter status in Maharashtra

The government has also decided to extend a medical assistance of Rs10,000 a year to them.

Towing the line of other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled states, the Maharashtra government also decided to accord freedom fighter status to all those who were jailed during the Emergency imposed in 1975 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The decision was taken in a state cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Girish Bapat, state food and civil supplies minister, said the government will give the status to all those who were in jail for at least a month during Emergency.

“The state government has proposed a minimum of Rs10,000 per month as pension to them. This scheme will be finalised after studying models of states such as Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh that have already provided implemented it. The government will form a sub-committee to study these models and submit a report in the next two months,” said Bapat.

The government has also decided to extend a medical assistance of Rs10,000 a year to them.

“We will also consider giving pension to the wives of men who were jailed during the Emergency but are not alive now and their kin have no one to look after. All the district collectors will be asked to collect details of the people who fit the criteria determined by the state,” he added.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the winter session held in December had announced to clear the proposal in the first cabinet of January 2018.

Around six to seven states including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh have already decided to implement this scheme.