Karnataka Suspends Pensions of 18.45 Lakh Beneficiaries Over Irregular Claims

The Karnataka State Government has temporarily suspended pensions for more than 18.45 lakh beneficiaries across the state, including in Bengaluru, following a massive verification exercise that flagged irregular claims and suspected fraudulent documents. The cleanup drive, aimed at plugging financial leakages, has temporarily halted payouts worth nearly Rs 180 crore monthly.

The Directorate of Social Security and Pensions initiated the verification after concerns grew over fraudulent claims depriving genuine beneficiaries of support. Currently, Karnataka has around 83 lakh pension beneficiaries under various social security schemes, costing the state exchequer nearly Rs 840 crore every month.

The state's investigation revealed several irregularities. Under old age pension schemes, only Below Poverty Line (BPL) senior citizens aged 60 and above with an annual income below Rs 32,000 are eligible. However, officials discovered individuals aged between 45 and 50 years drawing old age pensions. Other ineligible recipients included income tax payers, individuals not residing at their registered addresses, and applicants using fake disability certificates.

To identify these irregularities, the department cross-checked pension records with socio-economic data from the e-Governance Department’s Family Database. This initial comparison flagged nearly 23.13 lakh questionable beneficiaries.

A specialized mobile application named "Sanyojane" was developed to facilitate physical field verifications. Village Administrative Officers conducted the field exercise across the state, physically verifying the records of 20.64 lakh beneficiaries by June 20.

During the field drive, authorities found that many beneficiaries were not living in their registered villages, while others failed to produce valid income certificates or supporting documents.

Among the suspended schemes is the Sandhya Suraksha Yojana, which provides Rs 1,200 monthly to vulnerable senior citizens, including agricultural labourers, weavers, and unorganised sector workers. Overall, individual monthly benefits under the affected schemes range from Rs 800 to Rs 1,200.

Officials clarified that the suspension is temporary. Affected beneficiaries will have an opportunity to prove their eligibility by submitting Aadhaar copies, income certificates, and sanction documents to their respective tahsildars. The Directorate of Social Security and Pensions has instructed district authorities to complete this re-verification process within two weeks to restore genuine pensions and permanently remove ineligible claimants.