RANCHI: The Jharkhand government’s flagship Maiya Samman scheme is being exploited in Latehar, as relatives of the beneficiary government employees have been found unfairly taking benefits of the scheme, according to an investigation by the district administration.
Teachers, policemen, pensioners, Anganwadi workers and contract workers, their kin have been found taking the unfair advantage of this welfare measure. Out of the total 1.48 lakh beneficiaries registered with the district, 42,432 were found ineligible and hence removed from the list. The administration has issue strict warnings that strict action will be taken against anybody found fraudulently claiming the scheme’s benefit.
“If anybody is found ineligible, his/her name will be immediately removed from the beneficiaries’ list,” said Garu Block Development Officer Abhay Kumar.
“It has been confirmed that the family members of the government employees and those working with the state government on contractual basis were found taking benefits of Maiyan Samman in Garu block,” said the government source requesting anonymity.
Notably, similar irregularities were also received from Kasmar Block in Bokaro, where two computer operators were found to be taking benefits of ‘Maiyan Samman Yojana’ in their bank accounts, following which an FIR was lodged against one of them.
In Garhwa also, which IDs of three CSC operators were cancelled after they linked the bank accounts of their friends and relatives with application of others and the financial aid transferred to their bank accounts. In another case, 95 applicants of the scheme were found linked to a single bank account, which was opened recently in West Bengal.
During the investigation, it was found that the bank account of Yusuf, a resident of Patagoda, Barakhanti in North Dinajpur district of West Bengal, was used 95 times.
The fraud came to light when the Social Security Department, on the instructions of the Bokaro Deputy Commissioner Vijaya Jadhav, conducted the physical verification of the beneficiaries.
Under the Hemant Soren government’s flagship programme, women between the age group of 18-49 gets Rs 2,500 every month.