Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Aizawl: Mizoram pension rolls shrunk by 674 names this week. Those beneficiaries voluntarily surrendered their Pension Payment Orders after the state government offered a three-month amnesty window ending September 30. The state finance department confirms 563 of these people drew money from the state exchequer, while 111 collected funds via banks.
Taxpayers will keep more money now. The government expects to save Rs 1.25 crore monthly, totaling Rs 15 crore every year. Officials opened this window to clear out invalid or fraudulent documents like fake marriage, birth, or income certificates. Participants who came forward during the amnesty avoided any obligation to refund past payments.
The crackdown intensifies now that the deadline passed. A 13-member task force split into five groups will hunt down remaining ineligible claimants. District Treasury Officers lead these teams. Any person caught drawing money irregularly gets a show-cause notice and 15 days to answer. The government expects to wrap up this entire sweep by December 31.
Chief Minister Lalduhoma previously set the tone for this effort. He warned that those relying on forged records would lose their payouts and face potential legal trouble. "Chief Minister Lalduhoma had in July warned that beneficiaries found to have secured family pensions using forged or invalid documents would have their pensions discontinued and could face legal action."
Lalduhoma also put officials on notice. He expects them to watch document issuance closely and threatened consequences for any staff member caught helping with fake claims. The state even tapped local churches last month to spread the word about the surrender policy.
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