Odisha: Irregularities mar pension scheme in Keonjhar; over 200 bogus beneficiaries found in a single panchayat!

Bhubaneswar: Allegations of massive corruption in the implementation of Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY) of the Odisha government in villages under Ghasipura block of Keonjhar district have come to the fore.

Locals as well as social activists have urged the state government to launch a probe into the allegations and initiate action against the culprits.

The social activists have alleged that over 200 bogus beneficiaries at Tarimula gram panchayat under Ghasipura block were receiving the financial assistance under the MBPY.

Bogus beneficiaries were declared as ‘dead’ on Dec 31  

As per the allegations, the officials concerned had included many fictious individuals under the MBPY by describing them as leprosy patients. The irregularities were carried out through the submission of forged documents.

The incident came to the light only when as many as 205 beneficiaries of MBPY at Tarimula gram panchayat were abruptly declared as ‘dead’ on December 31 last year.

“Dishonest officials in cahoots with some influential persons were misappropriating the pension money by including these 205 bogus beneficiaries under the MBPY. This is a serious case of corruption. The officials might have done similar irregularities at other gram panchayats of Keonjhar, the home district of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The state government should launch an immediate probe into the irregularities and take appropriate action in this regard,” said the activists of Durnitimukta Pragatisheel Manch, a social outfit.