Hyderabad: Pilot surveys aimed at filtering out ineligible beneficiaries of the Cheyutha welfare scheme (earlier known as Aasara pensions) have thrown up startling revelations. Officials have discovered that pensions continued to be credited to accounts of deceased individuals, while certain govt employees — including staff from GHMC — were also found to among the beneficiaries of the scheme.A preliminary survey conducted by officials from the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) across four wards in Medak town found that around 6% of the 600 listed beneficiaries had already passed away.Multiple surveys are being carried out, jointly by the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) and MEPMA, covering both rural and urban regions. In Medak, councillors assisted officials in physically verifying cases by visiting households of reported deceased beneficiaries. Parallel to this, a broader cross-verification process using Aadhaar data is being carried out.While the identification of ineligible beneficiaries in rural areas has progressed relatively smoothly, officials face greater challenges in urban centres, where Cheyutha pensions are directly credited into beneficiaries’ bank accounts. To address this, authorities are considering stricter measures, including mandatory in-person verification, submission of life certificates every three months, and the use of facial recognition technology.Cross-checking Aadhaar data with Cheyutha beneficiary records has further exposed that several ineligible individuals — including govt employees, assistant engineers, teachers, contract staff, and even parents of govt employees — have been receiving pensions in urban areas.Officials indicated that the immediate priority is to remove deceased beneficiaries from the records, after which further scrutiny will target other ineligible recipients. Action against govt employees found to be drawing benefits is also being contemplated.In one instance from Medak municipality, pension payments continued for five years into the account of a deceased beneficiary. Although the funds were not withdrawn in some cases, in others they were regularly accessed. Across just four wards, it was found that approximately Rs 50 lakh was credited to accounts belonging to deceased individuals, an official said.SERP chief executive officer D Divya told TOI that the objective of these surveys was to ensure that deceased beneficiaries are removed promptly, thereby making space for eligible applicants. She added that similar verification exercises will soon be expanded to all urban areas in the state.Data collected so far indicate that nearly three lakh Cheyutha beneficiaries in rural areas have died since Dec 2023. Of these, around 1.5 lakh pensions were lawfully transferred to eligible surviving spouses. Divya noted that the direct bank transfer system in urban areas contributed to delays in identifying such discrepancies. “Cleaning up the beneficiary list is expected to facilitate the inclusion of at least two lakh new applicants,” she said.During the state budget presentation, deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka had announced that two lakh additional individuals would be brought under the Cheyutha scheme. However, officials from SERP and MEPMA now believe the number of new beneficiaries could reach nearly three lakh.The Comptroller and Auditor General of India, in its Report No. 1 of 2023, highlighted an irregular expenditure of Rs 1,175 crore involving 2.02 lakh ineligible beneficiaries. This included Rs 52 crore deposited into accounts of individuals who owned four-wheelers.
