India
‘People with BMWs, AC houses’: Audit of Kerala Finance Department reveals ‘beneficiaries’ of pension scheme meant for EWS | India News – Times of India
“Some retirees reportedly live in homes equipped with luxury amenities such as air conditioning. There were also cases when spouses of government pensioners welfare pensions,” said an official as quoted by news agency PTI.
The investigation also revealed numerous unqualified recipients living in spacious properties measuring over 2,000 square feet.
The Ministry of State Finance has further raised suspicions of corruption and collusion behind the substantial presence of undeserving beneficiaries in the pension register of one department.
Following the discovery, the state government has initiated a comprehensive investigation into all social security pension recipients within Kottakkal municipality. The Local Self-Government Department has received guidelines to guide the municipality through this verification process.
Meanwhile, the Finance Minister took a stern stand on the Kottackal incident by initiating a vigilance probe against officials who had allegedly listed wealthy individuals as beneficiaries of the Social Security Pension Scheme. “The Finance Minister’s directive calls for vigilance investigations against officials who conducted eligibility checks, tax officials who issued income certificates and those who approved pensions. The Finance Ministry has also directed administrative departments to immediately report follow-up actions,” a PTI source said. .
The probe by the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau comes after an initial probe conducted by the Malappuram Finance Audit Department, which scrutinized pension recipients in the 7th ward of Kottakkal municipality. “Of the 42 beneficiaries examined, 38 were ineligible and one had died,” the PTI source said.
Meanwhile, an earlier audit by the Information Kerala Mission, an organization responsible for digitizing and connecting local self-government bodies in Kerala, found that 1,458 government employees across the state were wrongly claiming social security pensions. Reacting to this, the Finance Minister of Kerala said KN Balagopal has imposed strict disciplinary measures against the officials involved in this misconduct.
Balagopal further criticized government employees receiving benefits while adding that revealing the full list would be shocking. “It is wrong for government officials to receive benefits. Legal action will be taken against such officials. Benefits are intended for those who are eligible. The money illegally received so far will be recovered. Releasing the full list would be shocking.” he said.
The minister announced ongoing efforts to prune the list of beneficiaries of welfare pensions, targeting those with annual incomes above Rs 1 lakh and any government employees receiving these pensions. Notices will be issued to such employees and action will be taken against local government officials who have wrongly declared their eligibility, the minister said.
The Kerala state government has set strict qualification requirements for welfare pension schemes to ensure that aid reaches only the genuine beneficiaries. The basic pension eligibility requirements stipulate that annual household income should not exceed Rs 1 lakh, while applicants should not own luxury assets such as powerful vehicles or spacious modern homes.
The guidelines also explicitly exclude individuals who receive multiple retirement benefits, pay income taxes, or live in institutional care settings from accessing these plans.
