Talk about giving ice to an Eskimo. Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, along with wife Jaya and son Abhishek, are among nearly 150 persons from of different fields, who will be handed a monthly pension of Rs 50,000 by the Uttar Pradesh government. The Bachchans will receive the dole for the rest of their lives, as they are Yash Bharti Award recipients. All those who have received the award are entitled to the pension.

Big B issued a statement yesterday, saying that he will be writing to UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav that the amount should be donated to charity. Bachchan said that though he respects the ‘honour’, he requests the UP government to redirect the amount to schemes that benefit the needy.