CHENNAI: The authorities have recovered Rs. 2.25 crore from ineligible accounts of farmers who were enrolled under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-KISAN) scheme in Tiruvannamalai district. The Crime Branch-CID (CB-CID) has nabbed a woman heading a self-help group (SHG) in connection with the irregularities.
Top authorities of Agriculture and Revenue departments initiated the inquiry following the irregularities in enrollment and disbursal of cash under the PM-KISAN came to light recently.
They found that 32,000 accounts belonged to farmers who are ineligible to get the financial succour from the Centre.
Consequently, the process to retrieve the cash from their accounts was initiated.
“Rs. 2.25 crore cash has been recovered from ineligible accounts,” Tiruvannamalai district collector KS Kandasamy said on Saturday.
He added, “All the cash transfer made into the account since 1 April have been subjected to scrutiny to find how much cash was received by the ineligible farmers.”
The accounts of the suspected farmers have also been held up by the bank authorities so that they can’t withdraw cash, but allowed to deposit.
The field-level officers of Agriculture and Revenue departments have been visiting those farmers who run out balance in their account to persuade them to return the cash received under PM-KISAN.
In Vellore, Tirupathur and Ranipet districts, it was found that about 10,000 ineligible accounts were opened to avail of the dole, according to a senior officer.
Rs. 35 lakh has been recovered so far from these accounts.
Woman nabbed
Meanwhile, the sleuths of CB-CID, which has been probing the financial irregularities, has arrested a woman heading an SHG in connection with the scam.
Thirty-five-year-old Jeeva, a resident of Perungalathur, Thandarampattu Taluk, in Tiruvannamalai, was held by a team of CB-CID led by Inspector Dhanalakhsmi on Friday, sources said.
She was produced before a local court and subsequently, remanded to judicial custody.
Jeeva, who headed an SHG, was alleged to have faciliated enrollment of ineligible farmers in the PM-KISAN scheme, CB-CID sources said.
Irregularities in PM-KISAN have been committed in 13 districts, including Kallakurichy, Cuddalore and Villupuram, of Northern Tamil Nadu and several crores of money was swindled. Local authorities of Agriculture department and data entry operators have allegedly colluded with farmers to enrol ineligible hands to avail of the financial benefits.