Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Wednesday appealed to individuals receiving family pensions from the state government through fraudulent or invalid documents to voluntarily surrender their Pension Payment Orders (PPOs) during the designated voluntary surrender window, warning that strict legal action would follow against those found guilty after verification.
The Finance Department of the Mizoram government on Wednesday launched the statewide kick-off programme on "Sensitisation of Voluntary Surrender of Pension Payment Order (PPO)" to facilitate the voluntary surrender of PPOs by persons drawing Family Pension based on fraudulent or invalid documents.
Addressing the function, the Chief Minister said that after the voluntary surrender window closes, the government's Task Force will undertake comprehensive field verification of all Family Pension beneficiaries. He warned that those found to have illegally obtained Family Pension will have their pension discontinued and face legal action.
Expressing concern over the misuse of the Family Pension system, the Chief Minister said that while some individuals had deliberately used forged documents to obtain Family Pension, others might have done so unknowingly. He stressed that the government is determined to put an end to such misuse of public funds.
As an initial measure, the government has provided a three-month voluntary surrender window during which persons illegally drawing Family Pension are encouraged to surrender their PPOs. Lalduhoma said those who do so within the stipulated period will not be required to refund the pension already received, as the government will waive recovery of the amount.
The Chief Minister said the government is committed to ensuring that all pensioners receive their pension and family pension benefits in a smooth, timely and transparent manner. He noted that considerable efforts have already been made to streamline the pension system and said that delays in pension processing are often caused by inadequate training of officials handling pension files in various offices.
He also reaffirmed the government's deep respect for retired employees who devoted the prime years of their lives to serving the state. The Chief Minister further stated that fraudulent Family Pension claims are often supported by forged documents and warned that if documents such as Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Divorce Certificates, Non-Marriage Certificates, Life Certificates, Income Certificates, Ration Cards or any other documents submitted for Family Pension are found to be suspicious, the government will conduct thorough investigations.
Authorities responsible for issuing such documents have been urged to exercise utmost caution, and where necessary, legal action may also be initiated against them. Currently, 39,954 beneficiaries are receiving pension benefits under the government of Mizoram.
These include 22,139 Superannuation Pensioners, 11,194 Family Pension beneficiaries, 5,629 pensioners receiving pension through the Centralised Pension Processing Centre (CPPC), 594 Voluntary Retirement pensioners, 289 Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) pensioners, 69 Invalid Pension beneficiaries and 40 Compulsory Retirement pensioners.