18% pensioners missing in Punjab
CHANDIGARH: Nearly four lakh beneficiaries of Punjab’s pension scheme are not available at their given address or have passed away, a survey by the state government has found.
The missing beneficiaries account for at least 18% of the 19.8 lakh registered with the social welfare department.
The most cases of fake beneficiaries 32% were found in Bathinda district — the home turf of the Badals, who have been at the helm of the government for ten years. Of the 1,11,621 beneficiaries registered in the district, 35,924 were fake or missing.
Amritsar followed Bathinda with 25.6% beneficiaries and Muktsar with 25.2% — Lambi, the home constituency of the former chief minister falls in this district. Hoshairpur has the least number of cases , 6.3% followed by Moga with 8%.
Sources in the welfare department said the government is planning to start a recovery process for the money and action against officers found guilty.The amount to be recovered is in multiple crores of rupees they said.
The Captain Amarinder Singh government, on coming to power in March, had ordered an inquiry into the pensions. While the inquiry was underway, the pension to all the beneficiaries was halted.
Department sources said atleast 50% beneficiaries of the scheme were registered during the previous Akali-BJP regime.
“The pensions are due from May and we will resume them to the genuine beneficiaries very soon,” director, social welfare, Kavita Singh told HT.
She said, the department had identified the ‘problem cases’ and that it would not have any trouble recovering the money if a directive was issued.
“Incase a beneficiary has an objection to our survey, we are ready to give him or her a chance to prove genuineness,” she added. Some 16.2 lakh beneficiaries of the scheme have been identified as genuine. 51,328 were found underage and 42,193 were not below poverty line as they mentioned.
In 1.96 lakh cases, the beneficiaries were not found to be residing at the address given to the department and 72,928 beneficiaries are no longer alive.