Police have registered cases against as many as 65 ineligible who reaped the benefit of old age pension social security scheme by way of forging documents in support of date of birth in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.
At least 65 persons aged around 40 to 50 years in Argala Gram Panchayat were receiving old-age pension from February to August 2024 on the basis of fake school certificates and other documents. An FIR was lodged against them on Friday, said Minati Jagdeb, the Aul Block Development Officer (BDO), Aul.
The case has been registered against 65 persons named in the FIR under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation of the matter is underway, said the Inspector-In-Charge of Aul police station, Sabyasachi Satapathy.
The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Government of India that provides financial assistance to the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities in the form of social pensions, BDO Jagadeb said.
Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY) is a Government of Odisha scheme which provides pension to persons above 60 years of age, widows (irrespective of age), AIDS patients and persons with deformity having yearly income of less than Rs 12,000.
As per the Guidelines of NSAP and provisions of MBPY Rules 2008, Gram Panchayat (GP)/ Panchayat Samiti (PS) shall report every case of death of a pensioner immediately to the Block Development Officer (BDO)/ Sub-Collector concerned.
Further, annual verification of pensioners shall be conducted by the competent authority to ascertain that the pensioner is alive and continues to fulfill all the conditions of eligibility. Pension shall cease to be payable following the death of the pensioner.