110 crore scam in Tamil Nadu PM Kisan Yojana, government officials gossip in online transactions

Chennai 9th September 2020 Wednesday

The Tamil Nadu state government has said that the PM Kisan Yojana, designed to benefit poor farmers, was a scam worth Rs 110 crore. More than Rs 110 crore was withdrawn online. State government officials and intermediaries were involved in the scam, said Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi. He said that some officials of the agriculture department were attached to the scheme in August. These officers were to coordinate online applications. These officers were sending logins and passwords to intermediaries. In this way, more than Rs 110 crore was spent online by government officials and middlemen.

Gagandeep Singh Bedi further said that 80 officers and employees attached to various agricultural schemes of the agriculture department were suspended and 34 officers were sacked. Eighteen men identified themselves as agents or brokers were arrested. Out of the Rs 110 crore raised, Rs 32 crore was recovered by the state government. The rest of the money will be recovered in the next 40 days, a state government spokesperson said.

The state government had ordered an inquiry into allegations that money was being paid to others instead of farmers under the PM Kisan Yojana. Two senior government officials and 15 employees were immediately suspended.

A government spokesperson said new applicants from many districts of the state were keen to take advantage of the scheme. Among the districts like Salem, Ranipeth, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Changalpet etc. were the districts where more scams were committed. Action was also taken against the concerned district officers. These government officials and intermediaries took advantage of the fact that new applicants seeking to avail the benefits of the scheme were unaware of the procedure.