Odisha government rapped for doling out old age pension to 167 dead persons

BHUBANESWAR :  The CAG has pulled up the State government for disbursement of old age pension to dead persons and misappropriation of pension fund to the tune of Rs 10.72 lakh by panchayat functionaries.

Verification of pension records of selected panchayat samitis (49 out of 317 samitis) and gram panchayats (268 out of 6,798 GPs) revealed that 167 out of 1,700 beneficiaries to whom pension amounting to Rs 2.33 lakh had been paid in cash during May 2011 to March 2018 were not alive on the dates of payment of pension.

“On cross check of cash book of the Harishchandra Sahayata Scheme, meant for ex-gratia payment to the kin of deceased persons, and records of Primary Health Centres/Community Health Centres concerned with the pension payment records, audit observed that 167 beneficiaries to whom pension amounting to Rs 2.33 lakh had been paid in cash were not alive on the dates of payment of pension,” the CAG report on General and Social Sector tabled in the Assembly on Saturday said.

As pension continued to be paid in their name for one to 22 months after their death, it is  suspected to have been misappropriated.

Irregular payments of this nature were made possible for not reporting the cases of death of the beneficiaries immediately to the BDOs/sub-collectors by the GPs.

Scrutiny of old age pension cash book from October 2017 to March 2019 in 12 GPs of 11 panchayat samitis revealed that the former panchayat executive officers, sarpanchs, naib sarpanchs and secretaries of the GPs had retained unutilised funds of Rs 6.16 lakh with them for period ranging between five months and six years. 

Though these officials were not holding official positions, Rs 6.16 lakh was not handed over to their successors and no action has been taken by the Panchayati Raj department to recover the amount from them.

“Failure of the internal control system resulted in misappropriation of Rs 10.72 lakh. The department had neither strengthened the internal control measures to prevent such cases nor taken punitive measures against errant officers,” the report said.