Kerala CM Vijayan Vows Firm Measures Against Wrongdoers in Social Welfare Pension Fraud
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Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 30 (NationPress) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who presided over a special meeting on Saturday to deliberate on the contentious social welfare pension scheme, declared that strict measures will be implemented against all offenders.
The issue came to light earlier this week when the state-operated Information Kerala Mission (IKM) revealed that numerous active government employees and pension recipients were unlawfully receiving the Rs 1,600 monthly social welfare pension, which is intended for the underprivileged and marginalized sections of society.
Reports emerged on Friday indicating that among the pension recipients is an individual who owns a BMW.
The review meeting led by Vijayan followed a directive for the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to undertake a comprehensive investigation into the fraud.
State Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal and several high-ranking officials from various government departments responsible for the distribution of the social welfare pension were also in attendance at the meeting.
A statement from Vijayan's office indicated that the Chief Minister has pledged severe action against those who unlawfully acquired this pension and those who compiled the beneficiary list.
"Those who have received it must reimburse the amount along with interest. Action will be taken against officials who included ineligible individuals in the list. This cannot be regarded as an oversight, and therefore, strict action will be enforced. Moving forward, the annual verification of pensioners will be made foolproof," it stated.
Following the IKM's report revealing that at least 1,458 active government officials, including gazetted officers, have been consistently receiving the Rs 1,600 monthly assistance, questions have arisen regarding whether the state government will release the names of these offenders.
The IKM estimates indicate that a total of Rs 23 lakh has been disbursed to these active government officials this year alone.
Among the current pension beneficiaries are school and college teachers, as well as employees from the Health and other state government departments.
In Kerala, approximately 60 lakh individuals receive the monthly social welfare pension, which occasionally experiences delays due to the state's financial challenges.
Additionally, it remains to be seen whether the investigation will encompass the CAG report that previously highlighted over 9,000 ineligible recipients who collectively claimed Rs 39 crore over a three-year period starting in 2017.
It is also uncertain if the names of those responsible for these irregularities will be disclosed, as called for by the state BJP President K. Surendran.
