Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh orders probe over 65,000 dead persons receiving pension

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered a probe after the government learnt that more than 60,000 people registered in various social security pension schemes from the Punjab government are dead.

The alleged pension scam came into surface after re-verification of more than 19 lakh pensioners in Punjab. The re-verification revealed that around 2.50 lakh social security pension accounts were found to be fake.

Punjab has total around 20 lakh social security pension holder. A pension holder receives Rs 500 monthly under social security pension scheme. The state government spends  around Rs 49.51 crore every year on social security pensions including old age pension, widow pension and disability pension.

The re-verification officials have learnt that 65,743 dead people are still registered in the scheme under old age pension and around 45,128 people registered have furnished wrong address details.

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According to the reverification report, at least 42,000 young people receiving the pensions are young people, who do not meet the income category but a large numbers of them own properties worth lakh.

The report also said that more than 10,000 people are rich senior citizens. According to officials more than 82,000 people did not participate in the re-verification process.