Chennai: The CBCI has so far arrested 101 people in connection with a major scam in Tamil Nadu under the Prime Minister’s Kisan scheme. This includes officials and intermediaries.
A total of Rs 105 crore has been seized and 100 officials have been suspended, officials said. It has been found that more than Rs 110 crore has been misappropriated. The number of new entrants to the Kisan scheme in the state had increased drastically in August. A subsequent investigation found that the online system had been misused and several ineligible people had been added to the list.Government officials gave the login IDs and passwords to intermediaries to get more people on the list and extort money. The highest number of scams took place in Villupuram, Gudalur, Thiruvannamalai, Vellore, Ranipet, Salem, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, and Chengalpet districts. Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy said that strong legal action will be taken against those who joined this. The government said the entire amount deposited in the accounts of the illegal beneficiaries would be frozen and recovered within a month.
