Social Welfare Department pulled up on old age pension

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 29. The Public Accounts Committee of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha has pulled up the State Social Welfare Department for paying over Rs. 2 crores as Old Age Pension to persons who were ineligible or were of doubtful eligibility and has recommended strict disciplinary action against the officials responsible for these serious lapses.

In its report presented to the Delhi Vidhan Sabha this past week, the Public Accounts Committee, headed by Mr. Haroon Yusuf, has pointed out that in 3,066 cases valid proof of age was not attached and the department accepted ration cards as proof which was wrong. In 2,060 cases even the age indicated in the ration card was below 60 years, the minimum age required to qualify for this scheme, and in 1,006 cases the age has been altered by cutting or over-writing.

In 5,328 cases, the department sanctioned pension despite the complete absence of details or incomplete details relating to family income and in 428 cases pension was given to persons crossing the income eligibility limit. In 1,069 cases the particulars had not been certified by the recommending authority but the department sanctioned pension nevertheless.

The reasons given by the Department for these lapses were that the applications could not be examined properly due to shortage of staff and heavy workload and that these cases had been recommended by the MLAs and MPs. The department admitted before the PAC that these lapses were referred to the Anti-Corruption Department. Inspite of the Anti-Corruption Department submitting its report in March 1999, the department went ahead and sanctioned pension to 1,484 ineligible cases in 1999-200. ``The Department has not learnt anything from its past experiences and has repeated the same irregularities. It informed that 1,484 cases had been cancelled but responsibility of the officials concerned was not fixed. The Committee recommends that strict action be taken against the officials responsible for these lapses,'' the report points out.

Not only this, the Committee also found that as many as 10,881 cheques amounting to Rs. 1.35 crores remained undisbursed. The Committee was informed that the cheques could not be disbursed for reasons such as death, shifting of residence and incomplete address and that now these cheques had been cancelled. Such was the callous attitude of the department that even in cases of death which were duly reported to the authorities, pension continued to be released.

The Committee has pointed out that the department had no system of periodical review to determine the number of deaths of beneficiaries. Audit found that the post offices of Krishna Nagar and Lodhi Road had intimated the department regarding the death of 124 and 44 pensioners respectively. But the department failed to take any action to stop the release of pension. The Committee has recommended departmental action against the officers responsible for this callous approach and it should be ensured that the system of periodical review is scrupulously followed.

Further, it has recommended that in order to avoid cases where the pensioners are drawing pension from more than one source, the department should take up the matter with the NDMC and MCD and share the data base periodically. The department should also consider the feasibility of incorporating the pensioners account number in the ration card or the identity card issued by the Election Department to avoid such cases. The Committee felt that the matter regarding harassment faced by the pensioners in the various post offices needs to be taken up with the Post Master General and surprise checking should be undertaken at the post offices in cooperation with the postal authorities.

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