NE NEWS SERVICE
PUDUCHERRY, NOV 17
Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi directed government departments here to ensure that the benefits of welfare schemes reached only eligible persons and not those making fake claims, by way of regular surveys.
In a WhatsApp message on Monday night, Bedi said she had received complaints from a ”whistle-blower” alleging that some women in a village here were receiving pension meant for the destitute, without being eligible for the monthly assistance. Women living with their spouses were getting the pension from the government department.
The Lt Governor said she had asked the Secretary to Social Welfare Department to go into the complaints and verify whether the benefit of monthly pension meant for destitute women was being enjoyed by ineligible persons.
At the end of verification it was found that 60 per cent of households were getting pension without being eligible for a long time.
“Payment of pension for these ineligible persons has been stopped forthwith and steps were also under way to recover the amount they had received. The verification of records would also confirm for how long they were getting the pension, which is Rs 2,000 a month for each destitute woman,” she said.
According to the Lt Governor, the deception was going on for long under the protection of some ”influential persons”.
“The Secretary to Social Welfare Department would soon devise a method by which regular surveys would be conducted by official teams on random basis to save government funds so that really needy persons could be helped,” Bedi said.
“All welfare measures should therefore be regularly verified to ascertain whether the benefits of the schemes reached the really eligible persons,” she said.
