Major fraud in state; 1458 govt employees including gazetted employees receive welfare pension

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major fraud in Kerala, government employees are found to have embezzled welfare pension in the state. It was found that 1458 government employees were receiving social security pension. Gazetted officers and college assistant professors are accepting the pension. The fraud was found in an inspection conducted by the Information Kerala Mission on the instructions of the finance department.

The finance department has directed that the illegally received amount along with interest be recovered from the officials. Minister K N Balagopal also directed that strict disciplinary action be taken against the guilty. Of the two assistant professors who committed the fraud, one worked in a government college in Thiruvananthapuram and the other in a college in Palakkad.

It has also been found that the maximum fraud took place in the health department. 373 people from the health department, 224 in the general education department, 124 in the medical education department, 114 in the ayurveda department, 74 in the animal husbandry department and 47 in the public works department are receiving welfare pension.