CM Pinarayi Vijayan orders action against officials and ineligible pensioners in Kerala welfare pension scam

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has announced strict action against government employees and pensioners who fraudulently received welfare pensions, including disciplinary action and recovery of amounts with interest.

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has announced strict action against government employees and pensioners who have fraudulently received welfare pensions. The decision follows a special meeting convened to address the issue of government employees and pensioners illegally claiming welfare pensions. As part of the measures, departmental disciplinary action will be taken against those found guilty of fraud, and the amounts they received will be recovered with interest. Additionally, action will be taken against officials who facilitated the inclusion of ineligible individuals in the welfare pension list. Those who are ineligible but are illegally receiving pensions will also face consequences.

To ensure accountability, the names of deceased individuals will be removed from the pension list through a mustering process, which will be made mandatory. A face authentication system will be introduced as part of this process, and income certificates and Aadhaar seeding will also become compulsory. The Chief Minister emphasized that receiving welfare benefits after joining government service is not a matter of negligence, but rather an issue of fraudulent action. 

The Chief Minister directed that the eligibility of welfare pensioners be assessed through local self-government institutions and instructed the Finance Department to continue its ongoing investigation into the matter. The meeting was attended by Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal, Chief Secretary Sharada Muralidharan, Additional Chief Secretary of Finance Dr. A. Jayathilak, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister K. M. Abraham, Principal Director of the Local Self-Government Department V. Sambasivarao, and IKM Executive Director Dr. Santosh Babu, among others.