Himachal Pradesh Government Expands Freedom Fighters Welfare Fund Benefits

The Himachal Pradesh government on Monday issued a notification amending the Scheme for the Utilisation of the Himachal Pradesh Freedom Fighters Welfare Fund, expanding the scope of benefits to include the children of daughters of freedom fighters, in addition to the children of sons. The amendment has been made in compliance with a judgment dated February 28, 2024, passed by the Supreme Court in Special Leave Petition (SLP) titled State of Himachal Pradesh and others versus Neelam Kumari. The notification was issued by the General Administration Department (GAD). Sources said, “There are more than 150 dependents of freedom fighters in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Neelam Kumari is a married granddaughter of a freedom fighter employed in Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd (HPSEBL). She won a case pertaining to the extent of the benefit of reservation under the freedom fighter category from the Himachal Pradesh high court in 2016. Later, the state government had filed a SLP against the decision of the high court in the supreme court, which dismissed the SLP in February, 2024.”