Karnataka's Crackdown on Social Pension Fraud and Land Record Digitisation

In a significant move against social security fraud, the Karnataka government identified over 11.8 lakh potentially fraudulent pension beneficiaries. Preliminary findings flagged 13,702 income tax payers and 117 government employees among them, as announced by Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda during a review meeting.

Aadhaar verifications have exposed thousands availing old-age pensions without meeting the age criteria, alongside able-bodied individuals using forged certificates to claim disability pensions. This has prompted calls for urgent re-verification to curb these anomalies.

The state's Bhu Suraksha scheme aims to digitise land records and transfer outdated titles to rightful heirs, ensuring transparency and accessibility. With 33.1 crore of the targeted 100 crore pages already scanned, officials work towards a six-month completion goal.

(With inputs from agencies.)