Thiruvananthapuram | The VACB on Thursday launched a statewide surprise inspection at 78 selected offices of 16 welfare fund boards under the Labour Department to detect alleged corruption and financial irregularities, officials said.

According to Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) officials, the operation, code-named 'Operation Welfare Fund', began at 10.30 am and aimed to identify and prevent corruption in government institutions.

VACB officials said that Vigilance Director Manoj Abraham ordered the inspections based on inputs regarding alleged corruption, irregularities, and financial misappropriation in various welfare fund boards operating in the state.

The agency had received information that some officials were allegedly failing to deposit contributions collected from workers and employers into the respective welfare funds on time and misappropriating the money, officials said.

There were also allegations that pensions and other welfare benefits were sanctioned to ineligible persons in return for illegal gratification, and that benefits were disbursed based on forged documents, they said.

The VACB had also received information about pension payments continuing even after beneficiaries' deaths by altering their bank account details, and multiple disbursements of the same benefit to individuals.

Other suspected irregularities included collecting contributions at old rates despite government revisions, failure to make mandatory deductions while refunding employers' contributions, disbursing welfare benefits without recovering outstanding loan liabilities and granting ex-gratia assistance to ineligible beneficiaries, officials said.

The agency was also looking into alleged diversion of government assistance and welfare fund money for purposes other than those for which the funds were sanctioned.

The statewide inspection is part of the proactive vigilance measures under Project Zero, launched to achieve a corruption-free Keralam, officials added.