125 elderly persons given excess pension by mistake; state now wants it back

Hyderabad: A number of pensioners in Hyderabad are caught up in a controversy after they were asked to return huge sums of money that were mistakenly deposited into their pension accounts.

Around 125 pensioners received notices from the pension payment office in Narayanguda, instructing them to return the excess payments that were mistakenly credited as enhanced family pensions instead of their regular family pension amounts. The pensioners concerned have been directed to submit demand drafts (DDs) for the surplus amounts on or before August 24, 2023.

However, the pensioners are pushing back against the immediate repayment deadline, expressing concerns about their ability to return such substantial amounts all at once. Many pensioners argue that they cannot afford to make a lump-sum payment without causing significant financial strain.

One such pensioner, S Vijayalakshmi, was asked to reimburse Rs 5.45 lakh, which was mistakenly disbursed to her pension account from February 1, 2022, to July 31, 2023. The amount deposited in her account was a monthly Rs 93,000 that her husband was receiving as a pension until his death two years ago.

In response, Vijayalakshmi’s son, S Ramalingam, met with the assistant pension payment officer (APPO). The APPO informed him that Vijayalakshmi’s regular family pension entitlement was Rs 52,000 per month and she has been receiving excess amount since February 2022.

The Ramalingam proposed a repayment plan in instalments, where the office can deduct Rs 30,000 from his mother’s monthly pension starting in August until the excess amount is repaid. He said that they only received the notice from the pension office last month and it is too soon for them to return such a huge amount.

During his discussion with the APPO, Ramalingam was told that the excess payments stemmed from an incorrect treasury inspection. The APPO agreed to consider his proposed repayment plan, indicating that it might be possible to pay back the excess in instalments.

Ramalingam told NewsMeter that there are around 125 individuals who might have been affected by the error in pension disbursement. Ramalingam commented, “When I was coming out, there were a lot of people with the same type of letters. It’s not just my mother, but there are so many people who have been affected.”

The pension department’s version is awaited. They have not issued an official statement regarding this matter.