Tamil Nadu: Rs 110 crore siphoned off from PM farmers\' scheme
Over Rs 110 crore had been siphoned off, of which Rs 32 crore had been recovered, and 18 persons had been arrested
Chennai: All the funds that had been siphoned off illegally in the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi in the State would be recovered and all those who were involved in it would be brought to book, State Agriculture Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi said on Tuesday.
The CB-CID, which is investigating the scam, had found that non-farmers had availed of the benefit by producing fake documents in 11 districts. Over Rs 110 crore had been siphoned off, of which Rs 32 crore had been recovered, and 18 persons had been arrested, Bedi said.
Though nearly five lakh people seemed to have been involved in the gross irregularity, the scam had been pulled off by some mediators. All of them would be brought to book in a month’s time, Bedi said, adding that action had been taken against 34 officers.