Pension Scam: Maximum fake beneficiaries in strongholds of ex-CM Badal, his kin

Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal. (File Photo)

Former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s home district and the areas regarded as political strongholds of his son-in-law, Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, daughter-in-law, Union Minister Harsimrat Badal, and her brother, former Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, are among the districts topping the list of fake beneficiaries of Punjab’s social security pension scheme.

This was revealed after verification of 18.62 lakh beneficiaries of state government’s pension scheme, out of which 82,533 (4.43 per cent) were found to be fake.

The previous government was found to be paying Rs 48 crore annually to the fake beneficiaries. The verification was ordered by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh earlier this year. The pension, at Rs 750 per month, is given to widows, physically challenged and old age beneficiaries.

The verification found that while Mansa, a part of Harsimrat’s Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency, was on the top among 22 districts with 10.48 per cent fake beneficiaries (8958 fake out of 85455), Badal’s home district Muktsar, in which his Lambi Assembly segment falls, stood second with 9.20 per cent (6756 out of 73445 verified) beneficiaries found to be fake.

Out of the total beneficiaries in the Muktsar as many as 3507 were below 60, the pensionable age, 210 exceeded the minimum income limit, 3039 had land holdings more than the eligible limit, 446 had wrong addresses given in the record, 9842 were found absent during verification process and 2594 had passed away.

Kairon’s Taran Taran district, of which his Patti Assembly segment is a part, stood third on bogus beneficiaries list having 8.95 per cent bogus entries. Kairon, however, had lost from his seat. He was the Food and Civil Supplies minister in the Badal government.

Similarly, Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s Bathinda district and her brother and former Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia’s Amritsar district both had 5.86 per cent fake beneficiaries. Former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal’s Fazilka district, in which his Jalalabad constituency falls, recorded comparatively lesser percentage of bogus beneficiaries at 3.15 per cent.

In Tarn Taran, out of 1,09,465 beneficiaries 9,796 were found to be fake with 6,300 not fulfilling the age eligibility norm, 816 not fulfilling minimum income criteria, 2,680 not meeting the land holding rule, while 2680 had wrong addresses. As many as 7,848 were absent and 3696 had passed away.

In Majithia’s Amritsar, out of 1,43,359 beneficiaries, 7,602 were found to be fake as 4,377 did not fulfil age eligibility, 702 had more income, 2,523 had more land, 1,577 had wrong addresses and 6356 were absent and 4,184 were dead.

In Harsimrat’s Bathinda, out of 1,13,936 beneficiaries, 5,888 were found to be undeserving with 2,926 below the eligible age, while 1,890 had more income, 1,072 had more land, 240 had wrong addresses, 4,065 were absent and 1,068 were absent.

Former Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa’s Sangrur district had 8.52 per cent bogus beneficiaries. Dhindsa was an MLA from Sunam in Sangrur. He is now an MLA from Lehra Gaga. Kapurthala district had the minimum number of fake beneficiaries at 0.22, followed by Pathankot at 0.52 per cent. Other districts having less than 1 per cent fake beneficiaries included Nawanshahr at 0.91 percent, Ludhiana at 0.92 and Ferozepore at 0.97.

The government had verified 1862113 beneficiaries out of a total of 1989511 of which 82533 were fake.