Disabled rights activists sought government action against officials who swindle money from the pensions disbursed every month.
The activists allege that several disabled pensioners do not receive pension as many officials pocket the pension money for themselves. “There are cases of officials who send the money orders to incorrect address intentionally and when the money orders are returned to them, they appropriate the funds. They do not return the money to the government,” activist S. Namburajan said.
Though the authorities were informed about the discrepancies in the delivery of the pension, no action was taken against any official, he alleged “When we ask the officials to take action, they simply transfer the tainted staff to a different district. Transferring them is not the solution as these officials continue to swindle at their new posting and go scot-free,” he added.
Another activist Radhakrishnan mentioned that the former Madurai collector Sagayam had sent a detailed report to the disabled welfare department about the fraud committed by officials in Madurai in the delivery of pensions for the disabled. “However, stringent action was not taken. Many officials were transferred and in some cases they got promotions as well,” he said.
A TV channel on Tuesday ran an expose of the state commissioner of the disabled welfare department Mr Sampath.
He admitted that he was ‘aware of the scam, but he could do nothing.’ “If you want, go and complain to the state vigilance department. I am aware of this. I cannot take action against them,” he remarked.