No comprehensive info on freedom fighters, martyrs: MHA

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New Delhi: The CIC has noted with concern that the government does not have a comprehensive list of freedom fighters or martyrs who died during the independence movement despite a full division of Home Ministry devoted to the subject.

"We have noted with some concern that although public money is indeed being expended on pensions for freedom fighters, the government...through various departments, does not seem to have comprehensive list of the martyrs or pensioners despite the fact there is a full division of the ministry attending the issue of freedom fighters pensions," Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah held.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has said before the Commission, "No information regarding strength of martyrs is available. Since no data regarding the Indian martyrs has been compiled by this ministry, information regarding the total number of Indian martyrs is not available."

Ironically, it is the ministry which distributes pensions to the dependents of freedom fighters and martyrs.

The ministry said a list of all the freedom fighters was being compiled by it to which Habibullah advised it to complete the process within six months.

"As the list continues to be compiled, the information so obtained may be continually updated on the website at the rate of 100 pensioners per day to meet the requirements of section four (relating to pro-active disclosure) of RTI Act," Habibullah said.

The Commission directed the officials to place a copy of the order before Union Home Minister P Chidamabaram for his perusal.

"Subsequent to the compilation and publication of the list, it will require to be ensured that the list is made available at the level of every district headquarters," Habibullah said.

Deputy Secretary in the ministry R C Nayak had submitted that although seven lakh applications were received for the such pension, sanction was granted for 1.7 lakh of them.

The Ministry of Culture submitted that ICHR was also entrusted to prepare a list of martyrs who sacrificed their lives during freedom movement.

A person named Panna Lal had filed an RTI with the Prime Minister's Office seeking total strength of Indian martyrs who died between 1857 and 1947. Lal alleged that many of those benefiting from freedom fighters pension were actually those who had collaborated with the British.