Dead & APL families found drawing pension

The Directorate of Social Security Pensions has found five lakh ineligible beneficiaries under various social security pension schemes in the state.

Monthly pensions were being disbursed to dead persons and to those belonging to above poverty line families illegally under various schemes like old-age pension and widow pension. The government, as a result, had been incurring an estimated Rs 25-crore loss every month, director of Social Security Pensions D R Ashok said.

The department has so far identified names of around 92,000 ineligible beneficiaries. Names of ineligible beneficiaries have started coming out following the department’s move to link Aadhaar numbers of the beneficiaries with their bank accounts.

All tahsildars have been directed to verify the authenticity of documents submitted by beneficiaries along with applications seeking pensions. As many as 56 lakh people are getting pensions under 13 different social security schemes, including those sponsored by the Centre. The department has so far collected Aadhaar numbers from about 42 lakh beneficiaries to introduce the direct benefit transfer system.