
Karnataka identifies 11.8 lakh 'potentially fraudulent' social security pension beneficiaries
Speaking at a review meeting on Wednesday, Gowda said Aadhaar verification also revealed thousands receiving old-age pensions despite not meeting the minimum age criteria.
Furthermore, complaints have emerged of able-bodied individuals availing disability pensions using forged certificates, prompting orders for re-verification.
In his observation, the Uttara Kannada district in-charge minister stated that steps will be taken at the state government level to bring an end to such anomalies with decisive steps in the coming days.
In Uttara Kannada district alone, 11,956 such suspicious cases were flagged, including 351 income tax payers, he said.
Gowda also said that the state has launched a campaign to update outdated land records.
Over 52.55 lakh land holdings still exist in the names of deceased farmers, rendering them ineligible for central schemes such as PM-Kisan.
Officials have begun door-to-door campaigns to transfer ownership to legal heirs. In the past month alone, 20,000 such land title transfers have been completed.
In Uttara Kannada, 1.90 lakh land parcels remain in the names of 57,000 deceased farmers.
Revenue officials have been directed to transfer these titles free of charge within six months.
The government is also fast-tracking digitisation under the Bhu Suraksha scheme to prevent record tampering.
The Bhu-Suraksha Project was launched in 2024 by the Karnataka Revenue Department with the goal of digitising and securing land records across the state.
Of the targeted 100 crore pages of land documents, 33.1 crore have been scanned, with a six-month deadline to complete the remaining.
Citizens will be able to access digitised land records online, eliminating the need to visit taluk offices, Gowda later told reporters on the sidelines of the review meeting.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
31 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Digital arrest, cyber fraud: UP STF nabs two gang members from Maharashtra
Continuing its crackdown on cyber criminals, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested two members of a notorious gang involved in digital arrest and cyber fraud. The accused, identified as Muhammad Iqbal Balasahib (47) and Shain Iqbal Balasahib (42), were arrested from a flat in a residential building on Mira Road, in Maharashtra's Thane district on Sunday and were brought to Lucknow for investigation, officials said. The accused were arrested from a flat in a residential building on Mira Road in Maharashtra's Thane district. (For representation) Describing the gang's modus operandi, a senior STF official said the duo impersonated police and narcotics officers, using WhatsApp calls and video conferencing to deceive victims. They would allege that the victim's name was linked to illegal activities and demand money to settle the matter. In one such case, they defrauded a Lucknow resident, Dr BN Singh, of ₹95 lakh. An FIR was lodged at the local cyber crime police station in April. According to a press note shared with the media, the STF's cyber team, led by additional superintendent of police (ASP) Vishal Vikram Singh, tracked down the accused after analysing technical evidence and receiving tips from informants. The release stated that the team raided the suspects' flat in Mira Road and seized two laptops, three mobile phones, seven pen drives, three hard disks, six ATM cards, two Aadhaar cards, two computer mice, and a laptop charger, along with ₹450. Officials said the STF is now examining the seized electronic devices and probing the accused's bank accounts and digital wallets. Efforts are underway to apprehend other members of the gang. The accused have been charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act. They are currently in custody, having been brought to Lucknow on transit remand.

Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Supreme Court Told Bihar Voter Roll Revision a 'Grave Fraud on Voters'
The Supreme Court on Saturday heard serious allegations against the Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls. Petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms and the RJD, claimed the process was marred by irregularities — with BLOs allegedly forging voter signatures, dead individuals shown as having submitted forms, and genuine voters excluded without notice. The petitioners argued that the EC's numbers were unreliable as forms were collected without proper documentation, putting lakhs at risk of disenfranchisement just ahead of the state elections. They also questioned why the EC rejected Aadhaar and ration cards as valid proof.#supremecourt #electioncommission #biharelections #voterfraud #electoralrolls #rjd #adr #voterlist #disenfranchisement #biharnews #manojjha #ashoklavasa #form6 #voteridentity #bloirregularities Read More


Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Deccan Herald
'Exercise of exclusion': I.N.D.I.A. bloc warns of 'intensified movement' against Bihar SIR
New Delhi: Describing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar electoral rolls as an 'exercise of exclusion', I.N.D.I.A parties on Sunday warned of an 'intensified movement' next month claiming that the exercise will leave a large number of electors out of voters' list owing to their inability to provide documents of the Supreme Court is set to hear the petitions challenging the exercise, the Opposition bloc is stepping up their attack on the EC with sources saying I.N.D.I.A MPs will hold a protest at Makar Dwar of the Parliament House on Monday at 10:30 am, before the Lok Sabha starts the debate on Operation Sindoor. .With 64 lakh voters weeded out, SIR in Bihar sets an example of 'purifying' electoral a joint press conference of RJD, Congress, CPI(ML)L and CPI(M), the leaders launched an attack on the EC claiming that the whole process was squeezed into one month and because of that, the exercise is flawed. The leaders alleged that the EC was entering into the domain of citizenship verification when it is not its to the allegations, EC sources said the poll body is not able to understand why some are creating a 'big fuss' when there is a one-month window to point out wrongful inclusion or exclusion. Sources also asked why some are trying to give an impression that the draft list is the final one. .CPI(ML)L General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said, 'What I see is a huge gap in numbers in just six months. Does this mean that in just six months, around 22 lakh people have passed away? So, does this mean the ECI's summary revision was a flop?' .Claiming that a large number of people would be excluded from the rolls after the document verification begins, he said the SIR is 'clearly linked' to the upcoming election when the people of Bihar are ready for a change.'The poor and marginalised sections of Bihar have fought long for their voting rights and now they will also fight against this 'vote-bandi'. In August, Bihar will move into an intensified struggle mode against this exclusionary and disenfranchisement process,' he said. .Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said all the recent communication of the EC and refusal to accept Aadhaar, EPIC, and Ration Card as valid documents clearly point towards the fact that the entire SIR process is a citizenship verification Manoj K Jha said the EC did not discuss the SIR exercise with parties and built a consensus. "We have not seen such a large attempt of disenfranchisement in the history of independent India. Opacity has become the hallmark of this EC," the senior MP CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Nilotpal Basu asked the EC to provide the details of the independent assessment it said it conducted before deciding on the SIR. The EC had in an affidavit to the SC said that it had conducted an independent assessment, which prompted the exercise.