UP govt awards Amitabh, Jaya, Abhishek Rs 50,000 pension; Bachchan Sr says give it to charity

Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, along with wife Jaya and son Abhishek, have become among of the first beneficiaries of a award scheme launched by the Uttar Pradesh government under which they will be provided with Rs 50,000 pension every month for the rest of their life. However, the actor has issued a statement saying that he will be writing to the Uttar Pradesh chief minister seeking that the amount be donated to charity instead. “Whereas I respect the UP Govt’s (sic) honour of the Yash Bharati Award to members of my family, and their decision as per reports in the press, for providing pension of Rs 50, 000 per month to each recipient, I am requesting the UP Govt, with all humility, to redirect the entire amount designated for my family towards any noble charitable scheme or cause that benefits the poor and the needy. I shall be writing to the Chief Minister in this regard, in a separate communication,” Bachchan was quoted as saying in a statement. [caption id=“attachment_2264058” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Amitabh Bachchan. AP[/caption] The state government cabinet on Tuesday announced that all recipients of the state’s highest honour, the Yash Bharti Samman, will be eligible to receive an Rs 50,000 monthly pension for life, reports The Times of India. So far 150 people who trace their origins to the state since the inception of the award in 1994, have been honoured by the government. The Rs 50,000 pension is among the highest in the country. Other schemes such as the Freedom Fighters pension Scheme fetches beneficiaries Rs 20,129 per month, former Andaman prisoners get Rs 23,309 per month, BCCI pays cricketers who played at least 100 Test cricket matches Rs 50,000, reports The New Indian Express. Under Integrated Social Benefit (Pension) Scheme of Uttar Pradesh government, a handicap person only receives Rs 300 monthly while under Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, a person gets Rs 300 per month. Yash Bharti Samman award recipients were awarded a one-time cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, but under the revised version of the scheme, the the cash award has been increased to Rs 11 lakh, a shawl and a citation, reports India.com. Another TOI report quotes chief minister Akhilesh Yadav ruling out the possibility of artists, sportspersons or writers returning their awards under the SP government. “Pension will be given to all recipients. The question of anyone being forced to return an award will not arise in Samajwadi regime,” he said.