TV
Altogether 894 ineligible people have fraudulently received benefits under an old-age pension scheme in Odisha’s Jajpur district and have been asked to return the money, officials said on Sunday.
These people have availed of the financial benefit under the old-age pension scheme by allegedly producing fake documents, they said.
The fraud came to the fore at Binjharpur block of Jajpur district, following which the officials swung into action.
What Did Binjharpur BDO Say:
“We inquired about an allegation from the block that ineligible people were receiving old age pensions by producing fake documents. During the probe, we detected 894 fake beneficiaries in at least 29 gram panchayats, who were taking old age pension fraudulently by producing fake documents from September 2023 to September 2024.
"Hence, we have sent notices to them to refund all old-age pension money they had received,” Binjharpur BDO Hitanshu Samal said.
The BDO said officials visited the residences of the ineligible people and served notices to them.
"If they fail to refund the money that they had taken fraudulently, the administration will take legal action against them," he said.
A complaint was filed last year with former BDO Dibyendu Kumar Das, alleging irregularities in which several ineligible beneficiaries fraudulently received old age pensions.
What Are The Discoveries Of The Investigation:
During the investigation, the then BDO discovered irregularities amounting to Rs 90 lakh and promptly informed the district collector before filing a complaint against Block Social Security Officer (BSSO) Dharmendra Sahoo.
Based on the BDO’s complaint, the Binjharpur police had registered a case and launched a probe into the alleged irregularities, another official said.
The then BSSO was also placed under suspension by the district administration, he added.
(With PTI inputs)
