Speaker Ayyanna Patrudu Says AP has 3.2 lakh Fake Pension Beneficiaries

Visakhapatnam: Assembly Speaker Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu has cited a recent survey to say that around 320,000 ineligible persons are receiving welfare pensions in the state through fabricated documents.

He shared this information during the opening of a new rice purchasing centre in Nathavaram mandal, Anakapalle district on Thursday.

Addressing the gathering, Ayyanna Patrudu referred to the issue of fraudulent pension claims, highlighting how fake age certificates and other wrong information were being used to access pensions unlawfully.

"Each fake beneficiary receives Rs.4,000 per month. This means a loss of Rs.120 crore to the government every month. This comes to Rs.1,440 crore annually, Over a period of five years, the total loss could reach Rs.7,200 crore," he said.

The Speaker noted that these funds could have been better used for infrastructure projects such as road construction or building three reservoirs the size of the Thandava reservoir.

Ayyanna Patrudu said he raised the issue with chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.