12,898 Beneficiaries Covered Under Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana

• Centre says 12,898 beneficiaries are receiving pension under the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana.
• Scheme currently covers 1,553 freedom fighters and 11,345 eligible dependents.
• Basic pension was last revised in 2016, while Dearness Relief was increased in July 2025.
• Quality Council of India to evaluate the scheme for continuation beyond the 15th Finance Commission.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 29th July: The Centre on Wednesday informed the Rajya Sabha that 12,898 beneficiaries, including 1,553 freedom fighters and 11,345 eligible dependents, are currently receiving pension under the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana (SSSY).

In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said the Ministry of Home Affairs administers the Central Sector Scheme, which provides pension to eligible freedom fighters and their dependents who fulfil the prescribed eligibility and evidentiary requirements.

According to the government, Telangana has the highest number of beneficiaries at 2,812, followed by West Bengal (1,912), Maharashtra (1,437) and Bihar (986).

The Minister said the basic pension under the scheme was last revised with effect from August 15, 2016, while Dearness Relief (DR) was most recently revised with effect from July 1, 2025, in accordance with the policy of revising DR twice a year.

Under the scheme, Ex-Andaman Political Prisoners and their spouses receive a monthly pension of ₹46,800, including Dearness Relief. Freedom fighters who suffered outside British India and their spouses receive ₹43,680 per month, while other eligible freedom fighters, including members of the Indian National Army (INA), receive ₹40,560 per month.

Eligible dependent parents and daughters receive 50 per cent of the pension that would have been admissible to the freedom fighter.

Besides the monthly pension, beneficiaries are entitled to lifetime complimentary railway travel, free medical facilities under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) and free transit accommodation with meals at State Bhawans in New Delhi, along with other prescribed benefits.

The government also informed Parliament that the scheme undergoes periodic third-party evaluation before its continuation under successive Finance Commission cycles. While the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) conducted the previous evaluation in December 2020, the Quality Council of India (QCI) has now been assigned to evaluate the scheme for its continuation beyond the 15th Finance Commission.

The Ministry said the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana continues to honour the contribution of India’s freedom fighters by providing financial assistance and welfare benefits to them and their eligible dependents.