Himachal: Fraud in Government Schemes, Funds Allocated to Deceased and Fake Beneficiaries
A major fraud has been uncovered in Himachal Pradesh’s government schemes, including the Sahara Scheme, Chief Minister Housing Scheme, and other social security programs, where funds were allocated to deceased individuals and fake beneficiaries. The matter came to light during a meeting of the task force set up for financial reforms. IAS Abhishek Jain, head of the task force, termed it a serious financial irregularity.
Instructions to Identify and Remove Fake Beneficiaries
All relevant departments have been instructed to quickly identify deceased and fake beneficiaries and remove them from the schemes. The state secretariat meeting focused on reviewing pending funds in central schemes and preventing irregularities in state government programs.
Identification Through IT and Data Mapping
The state government will match beneficiary data with official birth-death records obtained from the Registrar General of India. API-based technology and modern IT tools will be used for this purpose. Coordination among the Department of Digital Technology & Governance, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Health & Family Welfare, and ESOMAC will enable detailed data mapping.
Past Irregularities
Earlier, large-scale irregularities were found in the social security pension schemes. A total of 42,867 beneficiaries receiving pensions over the years were either deceased or ineligible, including 37,335 deceased and 5,532 ineligible beneficiaries.
Officials’ Response
Naresh Chauhan, Chief Media Advisor to the CM, stated that the Chief Minister is taking the matter seriously. Meetings with officials are being held, and beneficiary data is being digitized. Strict instructions have been issued for online submission of death certificates to prevent fraud in all schemes.
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