Annual Report - Ministry of Home Affairs

Phase-I 1946 to 1953
Phase-II 1954 to 1955
Phase-III 1956 to 1961
13.33 Freedom fighters of the movement
during its various phases, who fulfilled the
prescribed eligibility conditions and in whose
cases the records of sufferings were available,
were granted pension. In February, 2003, the
Government of India relaxed the eligibility
criteria under the Swatantrata Sainik Samman
Pension Scheme, 1980 to grant pension to those
freedom fighters of Phase-II of Goa Liberation
Movement who had been sanctioned State
freedom fighters’ pension by the State
Governments of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
Goa, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh by
August 1, 2002. 2,124 freedom fighters who had
participated in Goa Liberation Movement,
Phase-II have been granted Samman Pension till
December, 2009.
Policy Initiatives:
13.34 �e following initiatives have been taken
by this Ministry to streamline the Samman
Pension Scheme: -
(i) Fixation of minimum age limit for
consideration of claims for Samman
pension has been carefully considered and
it has been decided that henceforth only
claims of persons who were above 15 years
of age at the time of their participation in
the freedom movement, would be eligible
for sanction of Samman pension.
(ii) An exercise has been initiated to prepare
database of the freedom fighters,
dependents and family members who are
living and drawing pension.
(iii)Establish liaison offices at Hyderabad and
Ernakulum, where large number of Court
cases are pending in the High Courts. �e
Officer will have proper interaction with
Government Counsels of the High Courts,
to know the day to day developments,
ensure that copies of the Writ Petitions and
judgments are obtained from the Courts
and also that the Counter Affidavits and
the Implementation Statements are
prepared and filed in the Courts, through
Counsels in time.
(iv) A project has been undertaken to prepare
computerised inventory of records of
pension files to segregate the records
which can be transferred to the National
Archives and the ones which can be
weeded out.
REHABILITATION OF DISPLACED
PERSONS
Sri Lankan Refugees
13.35 Due to ethnic violence and continued
disturbed conditions in Sri Lanka, a large
number of Sri Lankan refugees have entered
India since July 1983. �e position of influx of
refugees in phases is indicated below:
Phase Period No. of Refugees
Phase-I 24.7.1983 to 1,34,053
31.12.1987
Phase-II 25.8.1989 to 1,22,078
30.4.1991
Phase-III 31.7.1996 to 22,418
30.4.2003
Phase-IV 12.1.2006 to 24,512*
31.12.2009
Total 3,03, 061
* Up to December 31, 2009
13.36 Refugees are of the following two
categories:
(i) Stateless persons who had not applied for
Indian citizenship or those not yet
conferred Sri Lankan citizenship; and
166 Chapter-XIII