The Department of Pensions has informed all government pensioners countrywide that they should submit their certificates of living to their respective Grama Niladharies on or before February 15, 2017 and otherwise, they may lose their pension payments in the future.
The Department has informed all Divisional Secretaries of Kurunegala and Puttalam districts of the NWP too that 123 persons who have fraudulently drawn pensions payments of their dead relatives, have been identified in the recent past countrywide.
These offenders have pretented that their retired relatives are living with them and due to their critical unhealthy conditions, those pensioners are unable to call over at the respective offices and banks to obtain their dues. Under these circumstances, the Pensions Department has decided to request all living State pensioners to submit these specific certificates to their respective GNs to establish that they are still living.
“Due to frauds of this nature, Sri Lankan Government loses nearly Rs. 30 million annually and nearly 175,000 pensioners are reported to be living abroad for a long period and steps would be taken shortly to verify the information of their residence abroad”, W.E. Jayathilaka, Divisional Secretary for Bingiriya told at a meeting of Govt.Pensioners of the Kurunegala district held on January 30 in Bingiriya, Kurunegala.