In what could turn out to be a multi-crore pension scam, it has come to light that at least 65,743 dead people are getting social security pensions from the Punjab government that is already facing a shortage of funds to provide extended relief to farmers.
To make things worse, the pension scam is apparently going on for more than a decade.
In a re-verification move, the Punjab government has found out that as many as 2,45,935 social security pension holders are fake, as per a report in India Today.
The largest chunk of these ‘fake pensioners’ is youth who do not meet income criteria.
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A large part of this also reportedly owns properties worth lakhs.
Interestingly, of the 65,743 dead people, who are still registered beneficiaries of old age pension, 45,128 pension holders have furnished the wrong address details, which weren't verified by the officials.
As per government officials, more than 82,000 pension holders failed to join the re-verification drive launched after the new government was sworn in earlier this year.
The Punjab government believes that most people who did not turn up for the clean-up drive could be fake claimants.
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Presently, there are around 19.8 lakh social security pension holders in Punjab, who are being paid a monthly social security of Rs 500 per month.
This implies that the size of the pension scam is larger than estimated.
Media reports claim estimates of more than Rs 50 crore being pocketed by ineligible social security pensioners during the last decade.
The previous Badal government had knowledge of the ongoing scam but it was believed to be limited to the Malwa belt, a primary pocket of Badal support.
Despite rapidly declining funds, the Captain Amarinder Singh government has also announced waiving off crop loans to make matters worse.
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