Finance Department

DEMAND 48 

PENSIONS AND OTHER RETIREMENT BENEFITS

POLICY NOTE FOR 2002-2003 

10. OTHER BENEFITS TO PENSIONERS: 

A. Dearness Allowance: 

1. i)   The pensioners / family pensioners are paid Dearness Allowance on par with the serving personnel on the Government of India pattern. Dearness Allowance is revised twice a year i.e. from 1st January and 1st July.

1. ii)  Military pensioners who are in receipt of State Pension are allowed to draw Dearness Allowance on State Pension also in addition to Dearness Allowance on Central Pension.
2.  
3. B. Medical Allowance:

The pensioners /family pensioners are allowed medical allowance of Rs.50/- per month. 

 11.  Provisional Pensioners / Family Pensioners are also allowed Dearness Allowance and Medical Allowance.  

12. PENSIONERS' HEALTH FUND SCHEME:

 Tamil Nadu Government Pensioners’ Health Fund Scheme has been implemented with effect from 1.7.95 to provide financial assistance to pensioners for undergoing specialised treatment/surgery by constituting a fund called Tamil Nadu Government Pensioners’ Health Fund.   

13. PENSIONERS' FAMILY SECURITY FUND SCHEME:

The Government has introduced the Tamil nadu Government Pensioners' Family Security Fund Scheme with effect from 1.1.1997.  Under the above scheme, a uniform contribution of Rs.70/- is deducted from the pension till the death of pensioners towards the Tamil Nadu Government Pensioners' Family Security Fund and the Fund is operated from 1.1.1998.  In the case of death of a pensioner after one year of contribution to the fund, a sum of Rs.25,000/- will be paid to the family from the fund.  

1. 14.     PENSION TO STAFF OF AIDED EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS INCLUDING LOCAL BODIES :
2.  

The Staff of Aided Educational Institutions and Local Bodies are allowed the same pensionary benefits as available to State Government servants.  

15. PENSIONERS' GRIEVANCES CELL : 

A Pensioners’ Grievances Cell is functioning in the Finance Department.  

16. DIRECTORATE OF PENSION :

 For the welfare of pensioners, a Directorate of Pension is functioning with effect from 1.9.1994.  This Government has launched the Website on 19.7.2001 containing Guide to Tamil Nadu Government Pensioners on Retirement benefits.  This Website can be opened in www.tn.gov.in/dop and viewed.    

PENSION AND OTHER BENEFITS TO FREEDOM   FIGHTERS AND EX-INA PERSONNEL 

17. The Government of Tamil Nadu has been very much sympathetic and considerate towards the Freedom Fighters and their families, who had participated  in the Freedom Movement  and had undergone innumerable sufferings to secure freedom to our Country.   A number of welfare schemes such as Freedom Fighters Pension,   Medical facilities,  free transport facilities, special reservation for their dependants in educational institutions, priority in Government employment, allotment of houses, etc., are being  implemented by the Government.

18. As per Government orders issued on 28th September 1966, the State Freedom Fighters Pension Scheme is being  implemented with  effect from 1.10.1966.  According to the scheme,  Freedom Fighters, who were sentenced to imprisonment or held under detention for not less than three months, or who were killed in action   or who became permanently incapacitated due to firing or lathi charge during their participation in the National Freedom Movement were eligible to get Freedom Fighters Pension.  Further  the Ex-INA persons and persons participated in Naval Mutiny 1946, and those who suffered imprisonment in Madurai Conspiracy Case were also later made eligible for the Pension. Further, Freedom Fighters who went underground avoiding the   arrest warrant or whose property was confiscated / attached or who were removed / dismissed from Government  service, on account of their participation in the Freedom Movement were also made eligible for Freedom Fighter Pension, provided that such claims are supported by documentary evidence through Court records or other official records..  The period of three months imprisonment  which was fixed as one of the eligibility criteria  for getting pension, was reduced to three weeks with effect from 1.4.1980.  The income ceiling fixed for getting pension was removed with effect from 11.3.1983.

19. Applicants who desire to get freedom fighters pension have to submit extracts of the concerned jail records or the  judgement of the concerned Court.  In the absence of the above records,  ‘Co-prisoner’ certificate obtained from the legislators who served  during the period 1980  or before, was accepted as evidence for jail imprisonment, with effect from 1.4.1980.  Since some deficiencies in the above system were brought to the notice of the Government, the system of issuing co-prisoners’ certificate by the  MLAs was modified during 1988.  As per the    orders dated 16-11-1988 issued by the Public Department, an applicant may obtain ‘Co-prisoner’ certificate from any two of the fifteen Freedom Fighters authorised to issue such  ‘co-prisoner’ certificate throughout the State  and apply for   sanction of pension. As certain difficulties in the above system were  brought to the notice of the Government,  a District Level Screening Committee was  formed in each District as per the orders of the Public Department dated 7th February 1996, consisting of the Collector of the District as Chairman, the District Revenue Officer as Vice-Chairman, three prominent freedom fighters as members and two prominent Freedom Fighters as certifiers.  The members and certifiers of the committee should be in receipt of State Freedom Fighters Pension on the basis of their   original Court or Jail records.   A freedom fighter  should have completed  18 years of age at the time of  imprisonment.   The application in the prescribed format should be submitted to the Collector concerned.  These cases  are examined by the District Level Screening Committee, as per the guidelines issued and are  recommended to Government.

20. The pension payable to the  Freedom Fighters had been enhanced from time to time. The details have been indicated in     Annexure -I.  Apart from this, State Pension of Rs.500/- per month  is also paid to those who receive Central Pension.  

21.  In the event of death of any State Freedom Fighter Pensioner, the pension is paid continuously to the wife/husband/minor children of the freedom fighter.   In case  they suffer from any permanent physical disability or mental illness, they are paid  the pension till their life time.  This pension scale  has been enhanced from time to time  The details have been indicated in Annexure-II. 

22. The Government has been  sanctioning Special lumpsum grants and pension to eminent persons or their descendants  in recognition of their significant role played by them  in the Freedom Movement.  The descendants of Marudhu Pandiar Brothers and Veerapandia Kattabomman are getting a pension of Rs.500/- per month.   At present, 154 descendants of Marudhu Pandiar Brothers and 7 direct and senior descendants of Veerapandia Kattabomman are getting the above pension.

23. The other concessions granted to  the Freedom Fighters and their dependants are given below:-

a) Medical Facility:-

A sum of Rs.15/- per month is paid as Medical Allowance to those who are receiving Central Pension or State Pension or both and to the Widows and  Minor Children.  The above pensioners or their dependants are permitted to have free medical treatment in Government Hospitals with ‘A’ class ward facilities.

b) Educational concession:-

Fee concession and scholarships are granted to the children/ grand children of the  freedom fighters for their study in schools, colleges, professional and technical institutions.

Further, reservation of seats in Professional / Technical courses has also been   made to the children / grand children of Freedom Fighters as detailed below:

i)   10 seats in B.E.,
ii)  Three seats in M.B.B.S. in the following order of preference
(a) Children of Freedom Fighters
(b) Grand children of Freedom Fighters
iii)  One seat each in  B.S.M.S. and  B.H.M.S.
iv)  One seat in Polytechnics and special    institutions.

1. v)   1% out of the total seats allotted to all Law  Colleges (Regular Course) and for Evening course (three years) in Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College.
2. vi)  One seat in District Teachers’ Training Institutions and Government Teachers Training Institutions.

c. Housing Facility:

Reservation of 1% has been made  to the freedom fighters in the allotment of houses/plots/flats made by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board from out of the  18% reserved for SCs/STs, out of the 5% reserved for Dhobies and Barbers and out of the 37% reserved for the General Public

d) Transport facility:

The Freedom Fighters drawing Central or State pension, their widows and legal minor heirs are given free bus passes to travel in the buses of the State Transport Corporation.

e) Funeral Expenses:-

In the event of death of a freedom fighter, a sum of Rs.2,000/- is being sanctioned immediately to the wife or the immediate legal heirs of the Freedom Fighter towards funeral expenses.  This is applicable to all the Freedom Fighters receiving State/Central Pension or both.    As a mark of respect to the deceased Freedom Fighter, an officer not below the rank of a Tahsildar of the Revenue Department on behalf of the Government, places wreath on the body of the deceased Freedom Fighter.

f) Employment Assistance

As per the orders of Labour and Employment Department, dated 4.5.99, priority is given for the legal heirs of Freedom Fighters and Tamil Savants, when names are sent by Employment Exchanges to Government Departments and undertakings for filling up vacancies. 

24. Central Pension scheme:-

The Central Scheme of freedom fighters pension is being  implemented by the Central Government with effect  from 15.08.1972. According to that scheme, the following concessions are granted.

1. i)  Persons who had suffered a minimum imprisonment of six months in connection with freedom struggle are eligible for Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension.  They have to produce jail certificate in support of their imprisonment and in the absence of such jail certificate from official records, a certificate   indicating “Non availability of records” from the jail authorities concerned along with two ‘co-prisoner' certificates in the prescribed form will have to be produced.  The ‘Co-prisoner’ certificate has to be obtained  from the freedom fighter pensioners who had undergone jail suffering for one year or one Co-prisoner certificate from a sitting M.P. or M.L.A. or from an Ex-M.P. or an Ex-M.L.A. specifying the period of imprisonment.
2. ii)  The period of imprisonment has been reduced from six months to three months in respect of Scheduled Caste / Scheduled Tribe and Women Freedom Fighters
3. iii) The annual income ceiling of Rs.5,000/- prescribed for the grant of pension was removed with effect from 01.08.1980
4. iv)  Persons who had remained underground for six months or more but are unable to produce official documents can produce a co-prisoner’s certificate from a prominent Freedom Fighter who had undergone imprisonment for a period of two years or more along with a certificate to indicate  “Non availability of records”  from the  concerned authorities.  The certifiers should belong to the same district as that of the freedom fighters certified.
5. v)   Ten strokes of flogging / whipping / caning inflicted for participation in the  freedom Movement will be treated as equivalent to  six months of  imprisonment.
6. vi)   Further, Ex-INA personnel are also eligible for Central Government pension, if the imprisonment/ detention suffered by them was outside India for six months or more.
7. vii) The monthly pension payable under the Central Freedom Fighters Pension Scheme has been enhanced from time to time. The details have been indicated in Annexure-III.
8. viii) In the event of death of any Central Freedom Fighters pensioner, the Central Pension of Rs.3,000/- along with the State Pension of Rs.500/- p.m. from the State Funds is paid continuously  to the legal heirs.
9. ix)  The recipients of Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension are getting 28% D.A. along with pension  with effect from 01.08.2001.

25. The number of Freedom Fighters in Tamil Nadu who are drawing State /Central Pension as on 31.03.2002 are as follows:-

  26. For the year, 2002-2003 a total sum of Rs.15,54,49,000/- has been provided for the purpose of political pension mentioned above.

 C. PONNAIYAN
MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY