Karnataka withholds pensions of 23 lakh beneficiaries flagged as suspicious; when will they be restored? Check details
The pension benefit of as many as 23 lakh beneficiaries have been withheld in Karnataka following a verification exercise that identified ineligible recipients under various government schemes, the state’s deputy chief minister G Parameshwara was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, he said that the beneficiaries included taxpayers, people who did not meet the prescribed age criteria and government employees, raising questions about the disbursal of welfare benefits.
The move comes as Karnataka reviews its pension rolls to ensure that benefits reach only those who meet the eligibility criteria.
“This verification drive was initiated after internal audits revealed that ineligible individuals, including government employees, tax assessees, and underage applicants, were illegally receiving benefits,” he said.
Income ceiling for pension hiked
Meanwhile, the annual income ceiling for getting pension in the state has been increased from ₹32,000 to ₹1.2 lakh.
The scheme covers old-age pensions, widow pensions and disability pensions. The previous income ceiling had been capped at ₹32,000.
Parameshwara, who holds the Revenue portfolio, said earlier that the annual income ceiling to avail of the pension had remained capped at the lower figure for a long time, which left lakhs of people out of the scheme.
“By increasing the annual income cap, we have resolved a long-pending issue,” he was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
When will the suspended pensions be restored?
Parameshwara also said that the suspended pensions will be restored promptly once beneficiaries submit valid age, income, and residence certificates. Though, the specific date was not revealed.
Revenue department data shows there are over 83 lakh social security pensioners in the state.
Karnataka may soon scrap NPS?
The Karnataka government will soon scrap the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and implement the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), the deputy chief minister said last week, according to news agency PTI.
He said the reintroduction of OPS was a long-standing demand of government employees and also a promise made by the Congress party ahead of the elections.
“The chief minister has held discussions on the issue. The government has taken an important decision to scrap the NPS and implement the OPS soon,” Parameshwara said while addressing a state-level Teachers’ Day celebration organised by the School Education and Literacy and Higher Education departments, according to a release.
He also said the OPS could not be reintroduced so far for certain reasons, but Chief Minister D K Shivakumar was keen on scrapping the NPS and implementing the old pension scheme.
Meanwhile, the National Council–Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) has also asked the government to widen the scope of an existing OPS relief for central government employees who joined service after NPS came into force but were recruited against vacancies sanctioned before the NPS notification.
The demand was raised during a September 3 meeting between the NC-JCM staff side and the secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
The NPS was notified on 22 December 2003 and became mandatory for new central government recruits from 1 January 2004, except the armed forces. Employees appointed from that date were generally covered by NPS instead of the CCS Pension Rules.
