Tamil Nadu: Block Development Officer ‘swindles’ MGNREGA wages in dead woman’s name

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered a probe by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) after a Block Development Officer had allegedly misappropriated MGNREGA wages in the name of a dead woman, nearly a year after her death.    

Based on a complaint filed by S Selvakumar, a resident of Tiruvannamalai, in 2021, the court had ordered a preliminary inquiry. The petitioner had alleged that the muster roll of the MGNREGA scheme had mentioned that his mother had worked between 27.05.2021 and 02.06.2021 when she had actually died in 2020, and her signature was impersonated by another woman. As per a report filed by the agency to the court on April 24, 2022, Amaravathi, the mother of the petitioner, died on March 26, 2020.

Justice R M T Teekaa Raman, a few days back, directed the DVAC to conduct a detailed investigation into the “entire gamut of the BDO for the above said year and one year prior and one year subsequent to the complaint by arraigning the public servant as well as unknown private persons and complete the enquiry and proceed further in accordance with law.”

“As per the muster roll maintained under the MGNREGA scheme, the dead person seems to have been shown as working and also an amount has been paid to her credit and the ATM card of the deceased was used to withdraw the amount. Therefore, since it is a matter for investigation with regard to loss caused to the public exchequer in the MGNREGA scheme,” the judge said.

The judge directed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption DSP of Tiruvannamali to conduct the investigation and file a report in three months.