Chandigarh, March 10
The Punjab Government today admitted on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha that there were several cases where the sarpanches had withdrawn pension of deceased persons. But the minister concerned could not respond to a supplementary question on how many such cases had come to light and what was the fate of these cases.

During the question hour, Congress legislator Harchand Kaur asked Chaudhary Swarna Ram, Technical Education and Social Security Minister, to reveal the action taken against the sarpanches, who had paid old-age pension to the deceased persons. The minister revealed that on the basis of complaints of withdrawal of pensions in the name of the dead, cases had been registered in 15 police stations across 9 districts. He did not have details of specific cases mentioned by various legislators, including Harchand Kaur.

Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon intervened to say that the problem was wider than that was being accepted by the minister. The minister said there were no complaints from Barnala districts, while legislators named several villages where sarpanches continued to withdraw pension even after cases had been registered against them.