Seven arrested in Villupuram district for fraud in PM-KISAN scheme

The arrested persons, who were employed as contract employees of the Department in Gingee block, were produced before a local court and remanded in custody

The Crime Branch CID on Sunday night arrested seven contract employees attached to the Department of Agriculture for alleged irregularities in implementation of the PM-KISAN Nidhi scheme in Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.

The arrested, identified as Venkatesan, Pushparaj, Palani Kumar, Pari, Mayavan, Prakash and Balakrishnan employed as contract employees of the Department in Gingee block, were produced before a local court and remanded in custody.

Also read: 90,000 ineligible beneficiaries under PM-KISAN Nidhi scheme identified in Villupuram district

Police sources said the seven had allegedly included ineligible beneficiaries and non-farmers under the scheme.

In Villupuram district, out of the 90,000 ineligible beneficiaries, as many as 38,000 were from the district, while 60,000 were from other districts.

The district administration with the help of banks and the Agriculture Department has recovered ₹7.5 crore credited into the bank accounts of 25,000 beneficiaries so far.

Further recoveries are under way and the total cash subsidy transferred into the bank accounts of ineligible beneficiaries was expected to be recovered in the next 10 days.