In Badal village, 17 pc pension beneficiaries found ineligible

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, November 17

Going by data procured from the district social welfare office, 64 of the total 382 beneficiaries of the state government’s social welfare schemes have been found to be fake in former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s native village Badal. Their names have now been deleted from the list.

This means Rs 32,000 per month was either being given to the dead, absent or those who did not fulfil the criteria.

The figures revealed that as many as 39 of the total 211 beneficiaries in Middukhera village, 95 of 251 in Kandukhera village, 30 of 141 in Roranwali village and 38 of 280 in Vanwala village were fake.

As many as 2,334 of the total 13,627 beneficiaries were found to be fake in Lambi block, which included 359 dead persons.

Notably, nearly 27 per cent of the beneficiaries were found to be fake in Muktsar district.

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh after coming to power had ordered re-verification of pensioners in the state. The state government was earlier giving Rs 500 per month to each beneficiary, which included the aged, widows, destitute children and physically challenged persons. It has been revised to Rs 750 per month from July this year.

Re-verification 

• Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, after coming to power, had ordered re-verification of pensioners in the state 
• Nearly 27 per cent of the beneficiaries were found to be fake in Muktsar district