Removal of MLAs' certification suggested to weed out bogus beneficiaries in future
PANAJI
In the aftermath of the Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS) bogus beneficiaries’ scam, where thousands have now been weeded out, the Department of Social Welfare now has about 16,000 beneficiary slots open for fresh applications.
Sources told The Goan that the department currently holds around 2,000 new applications, all of which are under strict scrutiny.
“Mistakes from the past won’t be repeated. Every application will go through rigorous checks before being approved,” a senior official said, confirming that the verification system has been tightened after the department unearthed the fraud. With the Centre expanding the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 increasing the total list of disabilities to 21, the department is expected to get more applications under the scheme.
There have also been suggestions for a structural overhaul in the verification process with one of the main recommendations being to eliminate the role of MLAs in certifying applicants.
“The ongoing procedure for Resident Certificates and Income Certificates is highly dependent on MLA endorsements. The absence of technical or document-based verification has made the system vulnerable to manipulation. Now that the loopholes have been identified and removed by the very department, the government must ensure it does not allow bogus entries again,” one of the welfare rights activists said.
Officials pointed out that despite being a high-value social welfare scheme, DSSS still functions without a centralised digital verification system. The fraud only came to light after the department launched a manual, on-ground verification drive.
The list of bogus beneficiaries included deceased persons, migrants and those who were otherwise ineligible under the scheme’s criteria. In several cases, families failed to report the deaths or migration of beneficiaries, resulting in pensions being disbursed for years without review.
Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai has already stated that between 13,000 to 14,000 fake beneficiaries have been removed from the DSSS rolls. “We are saving Rs 2 to Rs 3 crore every month, which is now going back into the State treasury and being redirected towards genuine welfare efforts. This is a major clean-up,” the minister told reporters.
He added that the department had found that many migrants were availing of the scheme illegally. “Their names have been removed and all migrant applications have been put on hold. We are completely overhauling the system to prevent such misuse,” he has been quoted as saying.
With bogus beneficiaries identified, the department that has already recovered Rs 50 crore is expected to add to the total amount through the further recovery process.
