90-year-old freedom fighter knocks CIC door over pension claim

New Delhi, Dec 15 (UNI) The Central Information Commission(CIC) has sent a show cause notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs for delay in furnishing information to a 90-year-old freedom fighter from Punjab regarding her application for pension.

Ms Swarna Kaur, a resident of Herpalpur, Patiala, had filed an appeal to the CIC after she was told by the CPIO of the Ministry that her case for a freedom fighters pension could not be processed further as the Ministry had not received the record sought from the Punjab Government to establish her eligibiliy.

''I have already moved all my papers/documents relating to my pension prior to this letter. Besides this, the Punjab Government, bearing letter number 1 (1)-2078, II-89 of Bibi Swaran Kaur, has recommended my case for a freedom fighter pension. I want to know why my case has been kept under shadow. I am suffering this problem for the last 20-years,'' she had said in the applicaion.

The Commission said whereas the Home Ministry provided the information sought by her, it did with a delay of 47 days for which the CPIO should pay a charge of Rs 250 per day.

The CIC also recommended to the Secretary, Department of General Administration of Punjab, Chandigarh to obtain the records cited by her as having been submitted to the Centre recommending her pension.

UNI