Realizing the financial strain caused by the increased pension amounts on the state exchequer, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday instructed district collectors to identify and eliminate bogus beneficiaries of social security pensions.
Speaking on the second day of the collectors’ conference at the state secretariat, Naidu emphasized the need for stringent measures to ensure that social pensions reach only eligible beneficiaries.
He directed the collectors to adopt technical and hybrid methods, combined with physical verification, to weed out ineligible recipients.
The Chief Minister specifically pointed out the need to eliminate corruption in the issuance of disability certificates.
He stressed that it must be ensured that doctors issuing these certificates strictly adhere to medical board guidelines.
“If any violations of these guidelines are found in the issuance of disability certificates, strict action should be taken against the concerned doctors,” he said.
Officials reported that approximately 6.4 million social pensions are distributed monthly across the state. Naidu has been personally visiting villages in various districts to deliver pensions to beneficiaries at their homes as part of a hands-on approach.
In light of complaints about ineligible recipients receiving pensions, a pilot survey was conducted on December 9 and 10. The survey covered one village and one ward secretariat in every mandal across the state's 26 districts.
During the survey, 10,958 pensions were verified, out of which 10,020 were found valid, while 563 were identified as ineligible.
A significant portion of the ineligible cases involved disability pensions, highlighting the need for stricter oversight and verification processes.