Hyderabad: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has released a report highlighting irregularities in the Aasara pension scheme. According to the report, an amount of Rs 1,175 crore was disbursed to 2.02 lakh ineligible beneficiaries, despite their exclusion being identified by the department.
The CAG report indicates that delays in removing ineligible beneficiaries from the database led to the wrongful payment of Rs 1,175 crore between 2018-19 and 2020-21.
During this period, pensions totaling Rs 1,768.42 crore were issued to 3,09,134 beneficiaries from 2,92,566 ineligible households, accounting for 67% of the total. Including these ineligible beneficiaries in the Aasara pension scheme went against the guidelines.
An analysis conducted by the CAG found discrepancies between Aasara beneficiaries and data from the Samagra Kutumba Survey (SKS).
Approximately 19% of household data was missing from the SKS data, and 16% of households identified as ineligible in the SKS data were still included as beneficiaries of the Aasara pension. This points to ineffective verification and identification procedures.
The report further highlights irregularities in the disbursement of funds under various categories. A total of Rs 535.39 crore was inappropriately sanctioned, including funds allocated for disabled individuals, beedi workers, single women, and multiple members within a household.
Additionally, the CAG analysis revealed discrepancies in the Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima data, both pertaining to the Department of Agriculture.
The report found that individuals who owned land exceeding the eligible limits outlined in the Aasara pension scheme guidelines received undue benefits amounting to Rs 67.41 crore.
Additionally, pension benefits totaling Rs 0.90 crore were irregularly disbursed to 367 deceased beneficiaries beyond their date of death.
Moreover, an analysis of transport department data uncovered that ineligible beneficiaries owning four-wheelers received an undue benefit of Rs 51.98 crore, as of May 2017.
