Telangana govt fails to recover Aasara scam drawals

Hyderabad: The TS government has failed to recover crores of rupees from 23,267 government employees and retired staff across the state, whose kin have been illegally drawing pension under the Aasara scheme.

The issue came to light last year when the government crosschecked Aadhaar details submitted by employees for health cards for the Employees’ Health Scheme with retired employees and the data of Aasara pensioners. Later, Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty officials held a social audit and finalised the number of erring employees as 23,267.

SERP officials also identified that about 40 per cent of the employees, whose parents were drawing pensions, were from the Education department.

Officials have found as many as 3,410 illegal beneficiaries in Mahbubnagar district followed by 2,686 in Medak, 2,597 in Adilabad, 2,420 in Warangal, 2,410 in Nizamabad, 2,356 in Ranga Reddy, 2,245 in Nalgonda, 2,083 in Karimnagar, 1,807 in Khammam and 1,253 in Hyderabad.

As per the government’s estimation, about Rs 2.45 crore was being spent on these ineligible pensioners as it provides Rs 1,000 as pension for the elderly persons, widows, toddy toppers, weavers and beedi workers under the Aasara scheme. Disabled persons get Rs 1,500 under the same scheme.

The social audit categorised government employees, retired staff and their dependents as per the pension schemes. There are 11,460 drawing pensions under the old age scheme, followed by widows (7,259), disabled (2,677), toddy tappers (175), weavers (285) and beedi workers (1,414).

Project director for Ranga Reddy district, V. Sarweswar Reddy said that all district collectors had issued notices to employees and retired employees.
“The illegal pensioners were drawing pension from November, 2014.

Few employees responded to our notices and repaid the amount drawn by their kin. Highest repayments were done in Ranga Reddy district. We have recollected Rs 45 lakh out of Rs 2.3 crore,” he said.

Mr Reddy said that the employees and retired employees would get second notices seeking either repayment or explanations on the matter. He said that after the second notice, the amount drawn by illegal pensioners will be deducted from the employees’ salaries.