Indian Express: Andhra Pradesh: Friday, January 05, 2018.
In a mockery
of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s assertion that social security pensions
would be given to only those who genuinely deserve it, some cases of misuse of
the benefit by individuals came to light in Kanigiri Nagar Panchayat of
Prakasam district. Women whose husbands are alive have been sanctioned widow
pensions, those who are not weavers are getting weavers pension. And to top it
all, officials did not take certificates
from applicants in support of their claim for pension.
“Of the 282
pensions sanctioned in Kanigiri Nagar Panchayat during the 4th edition of
Janmabhoomi - Maa Vooru programme held in January 2016, 70 are ineligible for
the benefit,” said D Mallikarjuna Rao, Vikalangula Hakkula Vedika state
president, and an RTA activist. Some eligible persons from Kanigiri, who were
denied pension, brought the irregularities to the notice of Mallikarjuna Rao.
After
obtaining the details under the RTI Act of the persons who got widow and
weavers pensions sanctioned, Rao cross-checked them with officials records and
found that some beneficiaries failed to submit the necessary documents. “I
found women, whose husbands are very much alive getting widow pensions. There
were around 35 such women. The other 35 were not weavers, but were enjoying
weavers pension benefit,” he told Express.
Using RTI
Act, he sought to know how the officials sanctioned pensions to the ineligible
in March. However, his first two attempts failed to yield any result. He then
directly approached the municipal commissioner of Kanigiri and simultaneously
wrote to Chief Minister’s Office with all the evidence in his possession. The
CMO officials directed the district collector to inquire the matter, who in
turn directed the DRDA project director to get to the bottom of the issue. Kanigiri Nagar Panchayat manager who inquired
into the matter in his report submitted to the higher officials admitted that
70 beneficiaries, who were getting pension, failed to submit relevant
certificates.
Subsequently,
those 70 beneficiaries were issued notices. In the reply to the RTI query,
given to Mallikarjuna Rao, it was mentioned that 70 were found ineligible and
notices issued to them. And pensions were stopped.However, it came to light
that during ‘Inti-intiki TDP’ programme, those 70 beneficiaries approached
Kanigiri MLA K Babu Rao, who asked officials to sanction pensions them.
Meanwhile, Rao met the district collector and other officials and sought action
against the erring officials.
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