Jalna crop relief scam: 21 govt officials suspended over 'misappropriation' of Rs 42 crore meant for farmers who suffered crop loss
In a major crackdown on corruption, the district administration in Jalna has suspended at least 21 officials from the revenue department over alleged siphoning off of funds amounting to Rs 42 crore that was intended as crop loss compensation for affected farmers. The district administration has also announced to expand the scope of inquiry across multiple talukas of Jalna and seven other districts of Marathwada.
The scam came to light after complaints of irregularities by some farmers from two tehsil in Jalna — Ambad and Ghansawangi — in the distribution of compensation. A district-level committee was formed in January this year by Jalna Collector Shrikrishna Panchal to probe compensation disbursal in Ambad and Ghansawangi tehsils.
The state government had allocated Rs 450 crore since 2022 to Jalna for post-disaster agricultural relief. A portion of it — Rs 79 crore — was flagged as suspicious with allegations of gross discrepancies in beneficiary records and fund allocation in an interim audit report of the committee, Panchal said.
'On closer scrutiny, so far we found Rs 42 crore was misappropriated through fraudulent claims. So far, we have suspended 21 officials, including 17 talathis and five clerical staff. Departmental inquiries have been also initiated against 35 talathis and we have issued showcause notices to five tehsildars,' Panchal told The Indian Express, adding that a report will be submitted to the government for further action against these officials.
Of the embezzled amount, Panchal said Rs 7 crore has been recovered so far. He also said an inquiry in other talukas was underway and its report was expected soon.
According to senior officials familiar with the investigation, the fraud followed a consistent modus operandi. Compensation was claimed in the names of bogus farmers, often for government-owned or uncultivated land. In several cases, officials exaggerated the size of farm holdings to inflate payouts. Duplicate claims and altered land records were also used to maximise the fraudulent gains.
'This was not a clerical error. It was a systematic misuse of the scheme. In some instances, officials filed claims on land where no crop was ever planted,' said a senior district official.
The extent of involvement of officials is also striking. As per the audit report's current findings, at least 10 officials allegedly embezzled between ₹1 crore and ₹1.9 crore each, while several others misappropriated between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 50 lakh.
Farmers' groups are now calling for broader accountability, pointing out that gram sevaks and agricultural assistants, who are central to verifying land and crop loss data, have so far not faced disciplinary action.
Panchal said all those involved in the scheme, including gram sevaks and krishi sahayyaks, are under scrutiny, and appropriate action will be taken based on the final audit.
As the probe continues and audits are extended to the remaining talukas, district officials are working to identify authentic beneficiaries using a combination of land records, satellite imagery, and bank account verification.
What began as a local grievance in two tehsils has now widened into what may become one of Maharashtra's most significant post-disaster relief scams in recent years.
In a new directive issued by the Divisional Commissioner, Aurangabad, revenue officials across eight districts of Marathwada have been ordered to conduct a five-year retrospective audit of all compensation distributed to farmers under natural calamity relief schemes. The directive mandates verification of whether: Compensation was given to ineligible persons, including non-farmers or those showing crops on government or uncultivable land, individuals received more than one installment of aid irregularly and whether aid was transferred to unintended beneficiaries, or fraudulently credited to wrong accounts.
Officials have been asked to use village-level records to verify the authenticity of names and claims. 'A detailed, self-certified report must be submitted within 15 days, identifying irregularities and explaining how government-approved compensation reached unintended recipients,' the order signed by Divisional Commissioner, Aurangabad, dated June 11, stated.
Where inquiries are undrway, resident Additional Collectors of respective districts have been appointed as nodal officers to coordinate all follow-up actions and disciplinary measures.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Police intercept mini trucks carrying suspicious powder from pharmaceutical company in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The anti-narcotics squad of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city police intercepted two mini trucks on Saturday carrying suspicious powder concealed within plastic scrap obtained from a pharmaceutical company by a scrap vendor. Police commissioner Pravin Pawar said, "The presence of white powder and small granule-like substances randomly placed in carry bags and stashed in plastic drums has heightened suspicions." Police officers said that no chemical, in any form, can leave the pharmaceutical company without prior clearance from the appropriate channels. Police authorities reported that the intercepted vehicles had left a global generic and speciality pharmaceutical company's manufacturing unit in the MIDC Waluj area. Anti-narcotics squad inspector Geeta Bagwade stated, "There were indications of smuggling and transporting suspicious drug-like substances from a pharmaceutical company located in the MIDC Waluj area. Accordingly, our teams set up a trap and seized the two mini trucks." The officer said the driver failed to provide details or satisfactory answers regarding the powder. Police sources said, given the case's gravity, forensic teams have been requested to expedite testing and analysis to determine the composition of the seized white powder. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ask A Pro: "I'm 70 with $1.4M in IRAs. Should I convert $120K/Year to a Roth?" SmartAsset Undo In Oct 2023, the MIDC Waluj industrial area made headlines after Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) teams from Gujarat, Mumbai, and Pune, assisted by the Ahmedabad crime branch, raided an industrial unit and seized narcotics valued at Rs 250 crore.
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Crusher co fined 16cr for illegal murrum mining
Indore: In a significant crackdown on illegal mining activities, Indore district administration on Saturday imposed a hefty fine exceeding Rs 16.64 crore on Yogesh Patidar, a partner in M/s Balaji Stone Crusher and Earth Movers. The penalty was levied after the company was found to be engaged in unauthorised excavation of murrum (gravel) in Dr Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow) tehsil area. According to the order passed by Indore ADM's court, it was established that the respondent, Yogesh s/o Ramgopal Patidar, illegally excavated murrum from Ambachandan village. This excavation occurred despite the approved mining lease being specifically for stone (gravel) and not murrum. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the mining operations were conducted without valid authorisation and without the necessary transit passes for mineral transportation, as mandated by the approved orders and rules. It was also found that M/s Balaji Stone Crusher and Earth Movers, through its partner Yogesh Patidar, failed to obtain the required environmental clearance from either the District Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA) or the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal, before commencing mining activities.
Indian Express
39 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Man beaten to death aboard train in UP's Baghpat over seat dispute, 5 held
A 39-year-old man was beaten to death by five persons aboard a train allegedly over a seat dispute in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district late Friday night, railway police officials said. All the five accused have been arrested, it is learnt. The victim, Deepak Yadav, was travelling on the Delhi-Saharanpur passenger train while going to his native Patti Ahiran village in Baghpat, Government Railway Police Superintendent of Police (Moradabad) Ashutosh Shukla told The Indian Express. Yadav was a weekly commuter on the train, he added. Shukla said Deepak, who was travelling along with his brother-in-law, was attacked near the Fakharpur railway station. Those arrested have been identified as Sanjeev, Rahul, Vishal, Priyanshu and Siddharth, all residents of Khekra in Baghpat. 'The victim fainted in the train after being hit on the head. On receiving information, a police team rushed him to the Khekra community health centre where he was declared dead,' the SP said. Following Yadav's death, an FIR was registered under Sections 103 (murder) and 191(2) (rioting) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), officials said. 'An investigation is underway after arresting the five men,' said the SP. According to Yadav's family, he had been working at a chandelier showroom in New Delhi for the past 15 years and travelled to Khekra every weekend. The family's neighbour Rajveer Singh, 57, said a few months ago Yadav's acquaintance had entered into an altercation with a group of men. 'Deepak was not present at the time of that incident. But on Friday, his friends got down at Badarpur, the accused started attacking him. By the time we reached, he was dead,' said Singh. A video of the incident purportedly recorded by passengers surfaced on Saturday, where a group is seen attacking a man even as other passengers try to intervene. Neetika Jha is a Correspondent with The Indian Express. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida, Ghaziabad and western UP. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee. The Thursday Murder club, Yellow Face and Before the Coffee Gets Cold were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
