Bogus proofs helped swindle money meant for old, poor

An investigation by The Indian Express shows how unscrupulous elements used fictitious documents to let thousands of illegitimate beneficiaries swindle government fund.

The most number of such cases have been reported from western Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district, considered among the most advanced districts in the state.

As on December 1, 2014, the number of ‘destitutes’ provided financial assistance under such schemes in Kolhapur is a staggering 90,110. Kolhapur’s per capita income is over Rs 1.01 lakh, which is only second to Mumbai, Thane, and Pune in the state. The district is also known for hosting the most number of Mercedes cars.

Bogus income certificates are one aspect of the scam, bogus age certificates are another. There are several instances in Kolhapur’s villages where government medical officers issued issued age certificates identifying those in their late 40s and early 50s as senior citizens enabling them to become eligible for old age pension, which is given to people 65 years and more.

Age certificates issued by medical officers are accepted in cases where school leaving certificates or birth certificates are not available. Information obtained through the Right to Information show that officials did not insist upon a leaving certificate or birth certificate even where these were available. “An age certificate issued by a medical officer is based on visual examination and documents produced by the applicant. It cannot be accurate at all times,” admitted Kagal’s Murgud rural hospital’s medical superintendent S B Thorat.

Another medical officer admitted that political pressure was often exerted to issue such bogus age certificates. “Some months ago, I received a call from a local politician to issue a senior citizen certificate to a woman in her mid-thirties.

The girl came for the medical examination with her hair coloured grey,” the officer said. In some cases, money was even drawn on the names of people who were dead several years ago.

In village after village, residents admitted to the fraud when approached by The Indian Express, stating that in the run-up to the elections, it was just common practice and that everybody was doing it. One beneficiary of the pension for destitutes lives in a bungalow, others own motorbikes and land, some were fraudulently shown as married to men whose name is on the village’s BPL list, the instances are endless. Interestingly, former NCP minister Hasan Mushrif, who held the Special Assistance portfolio, hails from Kolhapur district. In fact, Mushrif’s Assembly constituency, Kagal, has the highest number of beneficiaries at 14,754. “The most number of complaints regarding bogus beneficiaries and corruption have come from Kagal,” admitted Kolhapur’s Deputy Collector Kiran Kulkarni.

During Mushrif’s election campaign this October, his managers even highlighted his achievements in distributing the welfare grant to people of his constituency. Karvir (11,148 beneficiaries), Ichalkaranji (10,661) and Kolhapur South (9,377) were some pockets in Kolhapur with a high number of beneficiaries.

In each taluka, it is a government panel headed by a political nominee and comprising the tehsildar and others who approves pension applications under these schemes. Sources confirmed that while politicians channelised taxpayers’ money for election-time benefits, government officials and private agents gained from the racket by making quick money.

Another mandatory norm of reading out the beneficiaries’ list in the gram sabha of each village was violated to facilitate the fraud. Even the requisite periodic social audits were not held.

Now, following widespread complaints, the government has decided to launch a crackdown on the widespread malpractices. “We have issued directives for social audits to be conducted. A drive has also been initiated to identify and eliminate bogus beneficiaries and locate the genuine ones,” Kolhapur Collector (in-charge) Ajit Pawar said. R D Shinde, Principal Secretary, Social Justice and Special Assistance Department, said the government would be involving banks for grants disbursal to check bogus cases.

Meanwhile, Kagal MLA Hasan Mushrif said that while there is a possibility that some undeserving cases might have benefitted, one should look at the extent of genuine beneficiaries the scheme has helped.  “It was during my tenure as the department’s minister where orders for holding social audits and reading out lists in gram sabhas were taken to weed out undeserving cases.”

In Kagal, the Collector’s office has roped in staff from neighbouring talukas to carry out a drive to identify bogus cases. While Sub Divisional Officer Monika Singh has been asked to submit a report following the drive. “We expect to submit a report to the Collector by month end,” Singh said.

In 2003, another former NCP minister Vijay Kumar Gavit, who is now a BJP MLA, who also handled the portfolio, had faced heat over similar allegations.

How Kolhapur’s list of beneficiaries swelled: Money issued to the dead, those in their forties passed off as senior citizens, social audits not done, politicians reaped election-time gains.