Farmers Movement Archive

Rs 72cr retrieved from ineligible PM Kisan beneficiaries: Min

Thanjavur/ Ranipet: The state government has recovered Rs 72 crore from ineligible beneficiaries in the PM-Kisan scam till date, Tamil Nadu agriculture minister R Doraikannu said on Thursday. He told mediapersons at Thanjavur that the entire misappropriated money would be recovered from ineligible beneficiaries. “Taking advantage of the pandemic, some touts indulged in irregularities by joining hands with some internet café owners in various districts,” he said. Tamil Nadu government was swift to act once the issue was brought to its knowledge, he said. Doraikannu said several officials and contract staff involved in the scam had been arrested and many had been suspended. Departmental action was initiated against all those who were found guilty, he said. Talking about the farm bills that were passed in the Parliament, he said, “Farmers will not be affected by the Union government's new farm bills. That is why the Tamil Nadu government supports the bills.” Meanwhile, the CBCID sleuths arrested an assistant agriculture officer, Rajasekaran, posted at Kalavai block in Ranipet district in connection with the scam. He has been remanded in judicial custody. Earlier, a data entry operator, Subramani, was arrested in Ranipet district. So far, Rs 55 lakh has been recovered from ineligible beneficiaries in Ranipet district, where 2,064 such people have been identified. In Villupuram district, one more contract worker, Ponniah, 33, has been arrested.

The Times of India

2020-09-25

Chennai