According to an official, more than 3,300 people in the state are benefiting from the ‘JP Senani’ pension scheme, designed to honour those who participated in the movement led by Narayan 50 years ago.
The 1974 movement produced several political leaders of today, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, and opposition leader Lalu Prasad.
In 2009, Kumar launched the pension scheme named after JP for those who served jail terms during the movement or their spouses.
Although Kumar qualifies for the pension, he has never applied for it. Lalu Prasad, however, is among the 3,354 beneficiaries of the scheme, the official said.
Recently, the state government increased the pension amounts for JP Senanis based on their time spent in jail during the movement, he added. The pension for those who served between one and six months in jail was hiked from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500, while for those imprisoned for over six months, it increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000, he said. “August saw the addition of five more beneficiaries who served various durations in jail during the JP movement, and they are now receiving pensions,” a senior official from the state government’s JP Senani Advisory Council said.
However, the verification documents for around 500 existing pensioners have not been submitted to the JP Senani Pension Board within the required timeframe, leaving their applications pending since last year, he added.
“Failure to provide verification documents raises concerns about their eligibility. Relevant authorities routinely conduct checks on existing beneficiaries or their spouses to ensure the continuation of their pensions. Currently, there are 3,354 pensioners or their spouses receiving benefits,” the official added.
