Centre eases rules for freedom fighters’s pension scheme

The Centre on Friday introduced significant changes to the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana, a scheme that provides pensions to freedom fighters and their eligible dependents.
According to the new changes, the beneficiaries are now only required to submit their life certificate once a year in November, against the previous rule which mandated them to submit the certificate twice a year over the age of 80.
After the news changes, if a pensioner fails to submit his life certificate by the November deadline, their pension will be paused. However, under the new guidelines, beneficiaries who submit their certificate within three years will have their pension resumed along with the arrears.
Pensions will be cancelled only if the life certificate is not submitted within a three-year window, and any reactivation beyond this will require new approval from the Defence Ministry, according to the new rules mentioned.
After the death of the freedom fighter pensioner, his dependents, which include his spouse and unmarried or unemployed daughter, will have a year to apply for pension transfers, as compared to the shorter time in the past.
If an application is made after one year, the respective bank will forward the case to the Defence Ministry for a final decision, according to the new rules.
In addition, dependent pensions will now be paid from the date of the original pensioner’s death, instead of the date the application is submitted.
The Defence Ministry has also removed the clause that previously allowed husbands receiving dependent pensions to continue receiving them after remarriage.