Kolkata | West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday announced a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 for 325 people who were jailed during the Emergency, along with free travel on government buses and medical assistance.
Honouring those Emergency-era prisoners with the 'Paschimbanga Lokotantra Senani Samman', Adhikari said their sacrifices in defence of democracy should be remembered.
"The brave soldiers had to endure a lot of suffering. The new state government stands on the ideals of these brave soldiers," he said.
Each of the 325 people, identified by the government, will receive a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 and be entitled to free travel on government buses. They will also receive Rs 1,000 as medical assistance for treatment at government hospitals, he said.
If a beneficiary has died, the benefits will be extended to their spouse, he added.
Adhikari said the government was fulfilling its commitment within 90 days of assuming office.
Recalling the Emergency, imposed on June 25, 1975, he said nearly 1 lakh people were jailed across the country, including around 5,000 from West Bengal.
"Those who were imprisoned for opposing curbs on democratic rights had made a significant contribution to protecting parliamentary democracy and voting rights in the country," he said.
"You have laid the foundation on which this government has been built. The new generation must be brought out of the attempts made in the past to erase nationalism, patriotism and our 'Sanatan' culture," he said.
Adhikari also criticised the previous Left Front and Trinamool Congress governments, alleging that they had undermined the contribution of Syama Prasad Mookerjee and the importance of nationalism in Bengal's history.
He said the state government would undertake several initiatives to mark Mookerjee's 125th birth anniversary and familiarise the younger generation with his contribution.
A special committee headed by the chief secretary will be formed on August 13 to begin work on incorporating Mookerjee's ideals, and what Adhikari described as the "correct history" of the Partition of Bengal into school textbooks.
Adhikari assured members of the Loktantra Senani Sangh, an organisation of political prisoners of the Emergency era, that the state government would consider their constructive suggestions in the future.
The BJP-led government at the Centre observes June 25 as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' to commemorate the imposition of the Emergency in 1975. Several BJP-ruled states have also honoured people jailed during the Emergency with awards and pensions.
