'BJP stopped his pension, why award on his name?'

  • | Saturday | 21st July, 2018

However, after BJP came to power in March 2017, the pension was stopped following reports that the Yash Bharti award had been given away by the previous government as a dole to several undeserving individuals. After his meeting with the CM, Neeraj revealed that he had told government officials enquiring about his means of livelihood that he depended on Yash Bharti pension. Towards the end of his tenure, he also announced a lifetime monthly pension of Rs 50,000 to the awardees. Akhilesh also raised the award money from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 11 lakh. But, it never took off.On June 25, 2018, a delegation of senior artists and recipients of the Yash Bharti Award, including Gopal Das Neeraj and Bhajan singer Anoop Jalota, met chief minister Yogi Adityanath, urging him to restart the pension.

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday attacked the Yogi Adityanath government in UP for instituting an award in memory of poet Gopal Das Neeraj who breathed his last on Thursday even after stopping the pension he and other Yash Bharti awardees were getting.Recalling his meetings with the renowned poet, the former UP CM said his demise was a irreparable loss for Hindi language and poetry. "The way he has served Hindi language through his poetry and lyrics is unparalleled," Akhilesh said questioning the very intention of the UP government over instituting an award in Neeraj's memory after denying him pension.Akhilesh said despite his tall stature as a poet, Neeraj had no option but to call on the CM and request him to start the monthly pension. "But the government did nothing to restart it," Akhilesh said on Saturday, talking to the media in Madhya Pradesh, adding that now instituting an award after the poet was of no use.The Yash Bharti award was originally instituted by the SP government when Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister and later re-started by Akhilesh Yadav during his stint as UP CM in 2012. Akhilesh also raised the award money from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 11 lakh. Towards the end of his tenure, he also announced a lifetime monthly pension of Rs 50,000 to the awardees. However, after BJP came to power in March 2017, the pension was stopped following reports that the Yash Bharti award had been given away by the previous government as a dole to several undeserving individuals. The Yogi government announced that a probe would be conducted to weed out the undeserving recipients. But, it never took off.On June 25, 2018, a delegation of senior artists and recipients of the Yash Bharti Award, including Gopal Das Neeraj and Bhajan singer Anoop Jalota, met chief minister Yogi Adityanath, urging him to restart the pension. After his meeting with the CM, Neeraj revealed that he had told government officials enquiring about his means of livelihood that he depended on Yash Bharti pension. However, his pension was not reinstated.

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