A scrutiny conducted by the Kerala government has found that 1,498 government employees, including senior officers and college professors, were illegally receiving social security pensions that were meant for people from poorer sections of society.

The fraud was disclosed during an audit by the Information Kerala Mission, following the instructions from the Finance Department. The audit was conducted to ensure that only eligible individuals were receiving social security pensions.

The Kerala government has issued a monthly pension of Rs 1,600 to around 62 lakh people who belong to the weaker sections of society. However, these pensions were being misused by the state officials as per the scrutiny revealed.

In response to recent irregularities in pension disbursements, the government has announced plans to recover misappropriated pension funds, including applicable interest, from the employees responsible. The decision follows a thorough investigation into financial discrepancies involving pension payments.

Finance Minister KN Balagopal has issued directives for stringent disciplinary action against those found to be involved in the mismanagement. The government is committed to ensuring accountability and transparency in public financial matters, with other measures being considered to prevent such incidents in the future.

While speaking to media KN Balagopal said, "The Finance Department has assured that further inspection will be carried out to identify ineligible recipients. Measures will also be taken to ensure that pensions are distributed correctly to eligible beneficiaries, protecting the integrity of the welfare system.”

To find the fraud at a deeper level, the Finance Department has decided to keep conducting inspections at different levels.