Nearly 1,500 Kerala govt employees found fraudulently claiming welfare pensions

Thiruvananthapuram: Nearly 1,500 government employees, including gazetted officers and college professors in Kerala, have been found fraudulently receiving social security pensions, prompting Finance Minister K N Balagopal to order stringent disciplinary measures, an official source said on Wednesday.

"It has been found that 1,458 government employees in the state are receiving social security pensions," the source said.

The fraud was discovered during an inspection conducted by the Information Kerala Mission, which envisages computerisation and networking of local self-government institutions in Kerala, following instructions from the minister.

According to the source, the social security pension, meant for the poor and elderly, is being received by gazetted officers, including college assistant professors. Teachers from the higher secondary sector are also on the list of those receiving welfare pensions.

The Finance department has instructed that the unlawfully obtained pension amounts, including interest, be recovered.

Minister Balagopal has directed that strict disciplinary action be taken against those responsible, the source added.

The Kerala government provides Rs 1,600 as a monthly pension for around 62 lakh people.

The source said one of the two accused assistant professors works at a government college in Thiruvananthapuram, while the other is employed at a government college in Palakkad.

"Three higher secondary school teachers are among those receiving pensions. The Health Department has the highest number of people receiving welfare pensions, with 373 beneficiaries. The Department of Public Education ranks second with 224 pension recipients," the source said.

The Medical Education Department has 124, the Ayurveda Department (Indian System of Medicine) has 114, the Animal Husbandry Department has 74, and the Public Works Department has 47 employees receiving welfare pensions.

In the Technical Education Department, there are 46 pension recipients, and the Homeopathy Department has 41. The Agriculture and Revenue Departments each have 35, while the Judiciary and Social Justice Departments have 34.

The Insurance Medical Services Department has 31, the Collegiate Education Department has 27, and the Homeopathy Department has 25 employees receiving welfare pensions, the source said.

The Finance Department has decided to continue with inspections at various levels to unearth such frauds, officials said.

They said steps will be taken to identify and exclude ineligible individuals, while ensuring that eligible recipients receive their full and accurate pensions.