Welfare pension fraud in Kerala: Luxury car owners, affluent individuals found on beneficiary lists

This revelation comes amidst widespread outrage in Kerala following reports that nearly 1,500 government employees, including gazetted officers and college professors, had fraudulently claimed social security pensions.

Thiruvananthapuram: The recent revelation of Kerala government that 1,458 government officials are illegally availing monthly social welfare pension of Rs 1,600 each seems to be only a tip of the iceberg as the actual number of illegal beneficiaries could be higher as pointed out by the Comptroller and Auditor General last year.

It has also come out that the illegal beneficiaries include those using luxury cars and staying in multi-storied houses. Even dead persons were found to be still receiving pension.

Though pressure is mounting on the government to make public the identity of the illegal beneficiaries, Finance Minister K N Balagopal told reporters that the departments concerned are inquiring into each case and taking steps to recover the amount.

A major chunk of the beneficiaries are those who have been receiving disability pension and the government seems to be maintaining a lenient approach. They continued to avail the pension even after getting government jobs.

The Kottackal municipality in Malappuram district is found to be having a large number of well-off illegal beneficiaries and a vigilance probe is being initiated on this

"Of the 42 beneficiaries in the seventh ward of the Congress-led United Democratic Front ruled municipality, 38 were found to be illegal beneficiaries. Some of the beneficiaries were also found to be using luxury cars and staying in houses with over 2,000 square feet area. One beneficiary had also died," government sources told DH.

The finance minister said that action would be taken against the local self government officials who committed lapses in mustering.

Various service organisations have demanded the government to publish the list of beneficiaries to avoid causing shame to the entire fraternity of government officials.

Meanwhile, there are also allegations that the illegal beneficiaries include workers and supporters of mainstream political parties.

A report of the CAG for 2022, which was tabled in the assembly last year, had pointed out huge discrepancies and malpractices in direct to home pension payment to those without bank accounts. Even dead persons were found to be receiving social welfare pensions. But no effective corrective measures were taken by the government then. Now the acute financial crunches have forced the government to plug leakages of public money.