A major scandal has rocked the Telangana government, revealing widespread misuse of welfare schemes meant for the poor. Following a recent social audit, authorities have identified more than 37,000 government employees who have been illegally drawing benefits from programs designed exclusively for the state's most vulnerable citizens.
Cross-Verification Exposes Deep-Rooted Irregularities
The massive fraud came to light after the state government collected the Aadhaar details of all its employees and cross-checked them against the beneficiary databases of various welfare schemes. This meticulous exercise uncovered that thousands of employees, from contract workers to senior gazetted officers, were availing benefits under multiple initiatives.
Sources within the secretariat indicate that this discovery might just be the tip of the iceberg. There are strong indications that many of these employees could be exploiting additional welfare programs beyond those already identified.
Shocking Scale and Scope of the Fraud
The audit found irregularities across key schemes. The Cheyutha scheme, a flagship program launched with much fanfare, recorded the highest number of fraudulent employee beneficiaries.
The list of 37,000 ineligible beneficiaries is startling in its diversity. It includes:
- Anganwadi workers and helpers
- ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers
- Home guards and village organisation assistants
- Priests and revenue officials
- Teachers, including 47 postgraduate teachers and 71 secondary grade teachers
- Public health managers, lecturers, and civil assistant surgeons
- Judicial magistrates and gazetted officers
Scheme-Wise Breakdown of the Scam
In one major scheme alone, officials matched the details of 15,704 government-linked employees with the beneficiary database. This group comprised 8,273 honorarium employees, 3,202 outsourced workers, and 2,939 contract staff.
More alarmingly, the audit found 478 regular state government employees and 338 grant-in-aid staff – all receiving full government salaries – illegally claiming these poverty alleviation benefits.
Misuse of Employment and Housing Guarantees
The fraud was particularly egregious in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), now renamed Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin). This scheme is intended to provide wage support to rural labourers who cannot find work. Shockingly, 11,210 government employees were identified as beneficiaries, including 351 regular employees claiming wages meant for jobless rural workers.
The Indiramma housing scheme also showed extensive irregularities. Data revealed that 9,135 government-linked employees had either received houses or had them sanctioned. Another 1,444 employees benefited under the related Indiramma Aathmeeya Bharosa scheme.
Government Action and Pending Policy Decisions
The audit report has recommended immediate action. It urges the government to stop all welfare benefits to regular employees drawing salaries under grant-in-aid, minimum time scale, and state scale, as they are clearly ineligible under existing rules.
A crucial policy decision is now pending regarding the eligibility of contract, outsourced, daily wage, and honorarium staff. Since welfare schemes are linked to specific income criteria, the state government is expected to soon decide whether these categories should be entirely excluded from such benefits.
This scandal emerges barely days after the Telangana government unearthed a separate case involving ghost employees, pointing to systemic issues in the administration of public funds and welfare programs.
