RANCHI: In another case of fraud involving the Maiyan Samman Yojana, financial assistance meant for 112 women was being directed to the bank account of a man in Tamar, Ranchi. The Tamar Police have filed an FIR against Kartik Patar, and the process of recovering the money is currently underway.
Irregularities were uncovered during the physical verification of beneficiaries being conducted across the state. This was in response to reports that a large-scale fraud had been carried out by computer operators who filled out the forms for the scheme.
According to government sources, Kartik Patar's brother operates a Pragya Kendra in Tamar. Taking advantage of this, Kartik linked his bank account to the accounts of 112 women who were registered under the scheme. As a result, the financial assistance meant for these women was deposited into his account.
“Kartik Patar has been arrested, and preparations are underway to take action against his brother,” said Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri.
The police are working on recovering the misappropriated funds, and Bhajantri has warned that strict action will be taken against any ineligible individuals.
"We have received reports that ineligible individuals are exploiting the Maiyan Samman Yojana. Those who are ineligible should get their names removed from the list, or else strict action will be taken against them," he said. The administration is conducting thorough verifications of all applications in each block.
In Ranchi district alone, around 12,000 cases of duplication have been identified. This includes individuals who are benefiting from other government pension schemes or where funds meant for multiple beneficiaries are going into a single account.
In some cases, money has even been transferred to the family members of government employees receiving financial assistance under this scheme.
So far, the names of one lakh ineligible beneficiaries have been removed from the list statewide, and more than 12 lakh suspicious applications have been put on hold pending physical verification.
There have been several previous complaints of fraud related to the Maiyan Samman Yojana in Ranchi.
In some cases, funds were being transferred to the bank accounts of the wives and daughters of government employees. Similar irregularities were reported in Kasmar Block, Bokaro, where two computer operators were found to be fraudulently benefiting from the scheme by diverting funds to their own bank accounts.
One of the operators was arrested after an FIR was lodged against him. In Garhwa, three CSC (Common Service Center) operators had their IDs canceled after they linked their bank accounts to applications from others, diverting the financial aid into their own accounts.
In another case, 95 Maiyan Samman applicants were found to have their funds directed to a single bank account, which had been opened recently in West Bengal. During the investigation, it was revealed that the account of Yusuf, a resident of Patagoda, Barakhanti in North Dinajpur district, was used to collect funds for 95 different applicants. The fraud was uncovered when the Social Security Department, under the instructions of Bokaro Deputy Commissioner Vijaya Jadhav, conducted a physical verification of the beneficiaries.
Maiyan Samman Yojana is a flagship program of the Hemant Soren government, under which women between the ages of 18 and 49 receive Rs 2,500 per month.
Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore recently tabled the annual budget for FY 2025-26 in the Jharkhand Assembly, allocating Rs 13,363 crore for the Maiyan Samman Yojana, part of a total budget of Rs 1,45,400 crore.
