CHENNAI: The Commissionerate of Social Security Schemes has unearthed a major scam in which several lakhs of rupees, meant for distribution to beneficiaries of the Old Age Pension (OAP) scheme, have been redirected to other bank accounts in Pudukkottai and a few other districts.
The scam came to light after officials from the commissionerate conducted an inquiry in Pudukkottai last month following an alert from the backend team of the digital surveillance system. The system was set up a few years ago to monitor the distribution of pensions and track the beneficiaries’ bank accounts. Notably, similar irregularities were flagged in other districts too, but the volume was relatively low in comparison, sources said.
The inquiry revealed that OAP to the tune of Rs 27 lakh intended for over 70 beneficiaries in Pudukkottai had been deposited for over a year in the bank account belonging to a temporary staff member at the office of the Special Tahsildar (social security schemes).
In order to prevent such scams, the department of special initiatives, which implements the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai, and the commissionerate of social security schemes, have introduced surveillance methods.
‘Funds were routed to individual’s account’
Sources said bank accounts marked for OAP will cease to accept credits upon the demise of recipient. “The government’s master database is updated based on birth and death certificates, voter lists and other records that are linked with Aadhaar. Banks will also suspend the accounts of deceased beneficiaries,” an official said. In Pudukkottai district, funds allocated for OAP were returned for over 70 beneficiaries who are either deceased or have not withdrawn from the account in some time.
“Instead of these funds being remitted to the state’s account, they were transferred to an individual’s account. This mismatch of returned funds has been flagged by the system,” an official said.
Since August 2022, district has seen two Special Tahsildars; their involvement in the incident is yet to be ascertained. “As the Special Tahsildar is responsible for the distribution of OAP, the concerned officials have been instructed to provide an explanation. Efforts are underway to recover funds,” an official added.
While the digital surveillance of social security pension distribution was initiated a few years ago with the support of Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency, its effectiveness has been limited.
Efforts to strengthen the system have intensified following the launch of the Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme on August 15, 2023. Currently, 1.16 crore woman family heads receive a monthly financial aid of Rs 1,000 for which the state has allocated Rs 1,160 crore each month.
Similarly, 31.12 lakh beneficiaries receive a monthly OAP of Rs 1,200 under various categories. A senior official said, “The funds designated for beneficiaries’ accounts will be monitored by the system. Any deviations from the process will be identified through a robust surveillance system.”