A total of 13,212 freedom fighters are still alive and receiving pension from the government, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.
There are also 9,778 widows of freedom fighters who receive pension under the Centre’s Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana (SSSY), Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
“There are 1,71,689 freedom fighters who received a central pension under the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana (SSSY) till date. There are 13,212 pensioners who are still alive and receiving SSSY Samman pension. There are 9,778 widows (spouses) who are still alive and are receiving SSSY Samman pension,” he said.
According to the data shared by Kumar, the Ministry of Home Affairs disbursed Rs 599 crore under the scheme in 2024-25.
Of the 13,212 freedom fighters still alive, the maximum of 3,017 are based in Telangana, followed by West Bengal (1,799), Maharashtra (1,543), Bihar (988) and Tamil Nadu (801).
Most of the 9,778 widows of freedom fighters are based in Telangana (2,165), followed by Maharashtra (1,274), West Bengal (1,095) and Bihar (693).
In effect since 1980, SSSY allows pensions to those who took part in about 40 events of the freedom struggle between 1857 and 1947.
Kumar said the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) in Delhi maintains the list of freedom fighters or martyrs of the country’s freedom struggle under a project, entitled “Dictionary of Martyrs: Indian Freedom Struggle (1857-1947)”.
The eligibility criteria for receiving pension under the scheme is — a person who suffered a minimum imprisonment of six months in mainland jails before independence.
In case of women and SC-ST freedom fighters, the minimum period of actual imprisonment to be eligible to receive pension is three months. A person who remained underground for six months or more is also eligible. (PTI)
