Digapahandi: Implementation of social security scheme in Digapahandi block of Ganjam district has allegedly been marred by large-scale irregularities. The matter came to the fore during a public hearing and social audit of the scheme recently. Officials discovered that lakhs of rupees have been misappropriated by showing dead beneficiaries as alive in official records. Sources said, the public hearing and social audit was held at the conference hall of Digapahandi block recently.
Many people’s representatives present there created ruckus, alleging that a large number of beneficiaries of old-age pension under social security scheme have died but the amount is still being withdrawn in their names. They urged the authorities to identify these ghost beneficiaries and initiate a proper probe in the matter.
Such irregularities have been reported from Badadubula, Kaithakhandi, Phasiguda and S Tikarpada panchayats. Sources said that there are several instances of such irregularities. Kama Mallick, a resident of Kaithakhandi, died a long time back, but his pension of Rs 3,500 was withdrawn for seven months. Similar was the case of Simanchal Goud of Badadumbula panchayat who died nine months ago, but his pension amount of Rs 4,500 is going to a ghost beneficiary.
Sources alleged that pension amount to the tune of Rs 11,100 have been misappropriated by people using the names of deceased Panchanan Pradhan, Kasi Nayak and S Simanchal Patra of the same panchayat. In Phasiguda panchayat, pension money of Hema Sethi and Dandasi Goud, who are dead, has been embezzled while Rs 12,000 of deceased Kanchan Patra in S Tikarapada panchayat was withdrawn by a ghost beneficiary.
At the public hearing, a proposal was put forth in favour of an investigation into the scam in the presence of District Collector Subhashri Rath, BDO Haladhar Sabar, district social audit officer Rabindranath Malan, block chairperson Sunita Kumari Sethi, ABDO Prashant Kumar Rath, GPO Umesh Sethi, all panchayat executive officers and gram rozgar sevaks.
