Old habits die hard, goes a saying. It seems to be applicable to the employees at the grassroots level in Andhra Pradesh, who were engaged in distribution of pensions among various categories of beneficiaries.
According to reports coming from different parts of the state, employees of the village secretariat and in some places, village volunteers have deducted Rs 200 to Rs 400 from the amount of Rs 4,000 paid to each pensioner.
For example, at Krishnampalli village of Pullampet mandal in Annamayya district, village secretariat staff, along with village volunteers, collected Rs 200 from each pensioner, stating that they had not been getting salaries for the last three months and that they had no money even for fuel expenses for their vehicles.
Local TDP leaders, who noticed this collection of commission by village secretariat staff, have lodged a complaint with the higher authorities.
Realising that they might lose their jobs, the secretariat staff returned the money to the pensioners by evening.
Inquiries revealed that even in the past, these employees and volunteers used to pay the pensions only after deducting their commission. However, on record, everything was perfect, indicating that the pensioners were getting their full money.
“They are habituated to taking bribes. So, pensioners, too, did not register any protest. But with the government keeping a watch on them now, they were forced to return the money,” sources said.