In a move that will help many former players, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has revived the pension scheme for all former cricketers who have played less than 25 matches and do not get assistance from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

To also help such players who do not come under the coverage provided by the BCCI, the current DDCA administration has provided health insurance to all former Delhi cricketers who do not get the benefit from BCCI.

The DDCA had in 2011 launched a pension scheme for all those who have played less than 25 Ranji Trophy matches and don’t get similar benefits from the BCCI because they have not played sufficient matches. However, the scheme was stopped when the DDCA came under the control of the administrators because of governance issues. The DDCA administration led by President Rohan Jaitley has decided to revive the scheme.

The DDCA has also got clearance from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and has started disbursing payment to all those eligible for pension under this scheme, which has come into effect since August 1, 2024, DDCA sources told IANS on Wednesday. Disbursal of pension to “non-members” has started and money for the first two months has already been paid, while approval for disbursal to members has been received recently and they will get their pension soon.

According to sources, earlier the pension for those who have played between 5-24 matches, who went under the BCCI coverage, was Rs 7,000 per month. Now the pension has been increased to Rs 25000 per month.

The decision to revive the pension scheme and hike the amount was taken in July as part of the welfare schemes launched by the present DDCA administration led by President Rohan Jaitley. The DDCA has now increased this amount to Rs 25,000 per month, said a DDCA official.

The official also said that they have bought a health policy with SBI Life to provide health insurance coverage of Rs 10 lakh to all those players who don’t get benefits from the BCCI.

As of now, DDCA has included 96 former players in this scheme and will add details of more players as they get the information.