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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gujarat Confidential: Ministers' absence
Minister of State for Panchayat and Agriculture Bachubhai Khabad has been a talking point in the corridors of the Secretariat after the arrests of his two sons in alleged scams related to the MGNREGA scheme in Dahod district, with Khabad having been missing from the meeting of the state cabinet for two occasions now. However, sources said that in the last cabinet meeting held on May 28, four other ministers were also not present for various reasons. The four ministers, sources added, were Parshottam Solanki, Harsh Sanghavi, Rushikesh Patel and Kubder Dindor. Posters still up 'Operation Sindoor' banners and posters in black and red put up in Bhuj at major locations, roads, and roundabouts remain even a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public event held in the city on May 26. The Prime Minister had also taken out a rally less than a kilometre away. The banners and posters congratulate and laud the bravery of the Indian Armed Forces. Kutch Collector Anand Patel told this paper that during the 'Operation Sindoor', people in Bhuj in Kutch district were among those who actively responded to calls for blackouts and other acts.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
MGNREGA ‘scam': Kiran Khabad sent to seven days in police custody
A local court in Dahod on Friday remanded Kiran Khabad — son of Gujarat Minister of State for Panchayat and Agriculture, Bachubhai Khabad — to seven days in police custody in an alleged scam under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Lavaria village of Devgadh Baria taluka, for which a second FIR was lodged against him on Thursday afternoon based on the complaint of the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA). Kiran and his brother Balvantsinh were earlier arrested in an alleged scam of Rs 71 crore in works carried out under the MGNREGA in two villages in Devgadh Baria and one in Dhanpur taluka — from where the Khabads hail. Dahod district Deputy Superintendent of Police Jagdishsinh Bhandari told The Indian Express that the police had sought a remand of 14 days to conduct an investigation into the second FIR lodged in the alleged scam of about Rs 18.41 lakh in works done under MGNREGA, from January 2021 to December 2024. 'We sought the remand on the ground that we need to probe the transactions involved, who made the bills and who passed them. Who are the government officers involved in the scam and who benefited from the scam. We had sought a 14 days remand but the court granted a remand of seven days,' Bhandari told this newspaper. The FIR, lodged by in-charge DRDA Director SC Bhambholiya, states, 'After inspecting the site of various works in Lavaria village, it was found that out of the total 79 works, 21 had not been completed but bills worth Rs 18.41 lakh towards material and labour were cleared… The same was done in connivance with government officials by unauthorised agencies that did not participate in the tender process or emerge as the L1 bidder in the MGNREGA projects.' L1 bidder submits the lowest bid price in a procurement process. Kiran had been taken into custody from outside Dahod sub-jail, following his release on regular bail on Thursday in the first FIR of the alleged scam of Rs 71 crore. While his older brother Balvantsinh was allowed to leave from the sub-jail as per the conditions of the bail, Kiran was formally arrested at Dahod B-Division police station late on Thursday evening.
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Indian Express
Explained: Alleged NREGA scam in Gujarat, in which Minister Bachubhai Khabad's sons were arrested
A police investigation into an alleged Rs 71-crore scam, stemming from works carried out under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), has led to a political controversy in Gujarat. At its centre is Bachubhai Khabad, the Minister of State for Panchayat and Agriculture, whose two sons have been arrested in the case. His son Balvantsinh was taken into custody on Saturday (May 17). Two days later, police apprehended Kiran, who had been absconding after withdrawing a jointly filed anticipatory bail plea in Dahod with his brother. What is the alleged scam? It came to light when BM Patel, Director of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), discovered significant irregularities in the payments for incomplete projects under the MGNREGA. The projects spanned two villages in the Devgadh Baria taluka and one village in the Dhanpur taluka, where several metres of road construction were left incomplete. However, payments were still made to 'unauthorised agencies' using forged completion certificates between April 2021 and December 2024. Thirty-five unauthorised agencies, which did not participate in the tender process or emerge as the lowest bidders, received payments regardless. Two of them – Raj Construction and Raj Traders – are run by Balvantsinh and Kiran. What does the case FIR say? The DRDA director filed an FIR on April 24, stating that the three villages reported forged completion reports with payments 'made in connivance' to 'unauthorised' agencies for supplying raw materials. Of the 35 agencies, 28 in Devgadh Baria received payments for non-existent roads. The FIR states, 'An inspection was carried out of the projects under the MGNREGA schemes undertaken between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2024, in the villages of Kuva and Redhana in Devgadh Baria taluka and Simamoi village in Dhanpur taluka. It came to light that despite being incomplete, the completion certificates and false evidence were forged to complete the payments for these works…' 'All the unauthorised agencies as well as government officials concerned and other MGNREGA staff, in connivance with each other and as part of a prior criminal conspiracy, executed fraud and criminal breach of trust by using forged documents to cause a loss to the government treasury…,' it added. Officials said Rs 71 crores of payments were allegedly made on 'forged' bills to unauthorised agencies. A claim amount of Rs 150 crores made under the MGNREGA projects is also under scrutiny in the same case. Police officials said that the 'actual estimate of the amount of loss to the state treasury' is yet to be ascertained. According to the FIR, the alleged scam in Kuva village involves 41 MGNREGA works, including roads and check dams. Of the 25,066 metres of road shown as completed, only 15,176 metres were constructed. The biggest discrepancy was in Simamoi in Dhanpur, the Khabad family's home taluka. Across the 38 MGNREGA works, only 3,492 meters out of 19,200 metres of roads have been constructed, but full payment was made. What has the political fallout been? Along with Balvantsinh and Kiran, officers such as the then Taluka Development Officer (TDO) of Devgadh Baria were arrested. Dilip Chauhan, a former Assistant Programme Officer (APO) and a distant relative of the Khabads, is also among the 14 accused arrested so far. All accused people have been arrested under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita Sections [316(2), 316(5)] (criminal breach of trust), 318(4) (cheating), 336(2) (forgery), 338 (forgery of valuable security, will), 340(2) (Forged document or electronic record and using it as genuine), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy). The opposition Congress has been demanding Khabad's resignation, and Congress leader Amit Chavda has also sought the formation of a Special Investigation Team, calling the ongoing investigations an 'eyewash'. Khabad, in two video messages released Tuesday and Wednesday, has expressed faith in the process, claiming his sons were 'only involved in a legal business of supplying materials' and did not have the 'responsibility of completing the projects'. In the last Budget session of the Gujarat Assembly, even before the FIR was filed, opposition leader Amit Chavda had alleged corruption of over Rs 100 crore in MGNREGA in Dahod. He also sought an investigation by the Vigilance Commission. Belonging to the Koli community that falls under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, Khabad is a four-time MLA from the Devgadh Baria constituency. He first won the Assembly constituency in 2002 with a margin of 51,157 votes. Thereafter, Khabad won in the 2012, 2017 and 2022 elections, and declared assets worth Rs 92 lakh in the 2022 Assembly polls. In November 2022, ahead of the Assembly polls, the Congress had accused Khabad of 'orchestrating the withdrawal of the nomination' of NCP candidate Gopal Lavre, as the Devgadh Baria seat was in a seat-sharing alliance between the Congress and the NCP. Khabad won with a lead of 44,201 votes and a vote share of 58.27% against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Vakhala Bharatsinh. He has been a minister in the Gujarat government since 2014, handling portfolios such as animal husbandry, fisheries, forest and environment, rural housing, rural development, and cow conservation. Khabad has cited agriculture and business as his occupations. He is also associated with various religious and educational institutes. On Wednesday, as he skipped the weekly Cabinet meeting in Gandhinagar, Khabad released a video where he lashed out at 'critics for accusing him of going underground' amid the scam allegations. He said he was busy with the party's organisational work and that the 'truth will be brought out' by the investigations. Sources in the BJP said that following Balvantsinh's arrest, the party is considering multiple options, such as dropping him from the council of ministers.
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Indian Express
Dahod MGNREGA ‘scam': Gujarat Minister Khabad's younger son sent to four days in police custody
A court in Dahod on Tuesday sent Gujarat Minister of State for Panchayat and Agriculture Bachubhai Khabad's younger son Kiran Khabad to four days in police custody, following his arrest on Monday in connection with an alleged Rs 71 crore Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scam in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas of Dahod. According to police, three more persons have been arrested, taking the tally to 14 so far. Along with Kiran Khabad, Dahod Deputy District Development Officer (DDO) Rasik Parmar — who was the then taluka development officer of Dhanpur, and Parth Baria, the owner of one of the agencies supplying material have also been sent to four days in police custody while former Assistant Programme Officer Dilip Chauhan — also said to be distant relative of the Khabads — has been sent to 10 days in police custody. Dahod Deputy Superintendent of Police Jagdishsinh Bhandari told The Indian Express that the police had sought remand for 14 days. 'We had applied for 14 days remand but the court granted a remand of 10 days for Chauhan, and four days for Kiran Khabad and others. We also have Balvantsinh (Bachubhai's older son) in custody until Thursday… The investigation involves sensitive details of the transactions and having the accused in custody together will help the probe,' Bhandari said. While Bhandari refused to detail the grounds put forth in the remand application, he said that on Tuesday, the Dahod district police arrested three more persons, then Assistant Programme Officer of Dhanpur Bhavesh Rathod, MIS operator Sanjay Baria and the owner of another agency that supplied materials, Jagdish Baria, taking the total number of arrested accused to 14 so far. A senior police official told this newspaper that the probe was on to ascertain the exact amount of the scam as a total of 35 'unauthorised' agencies, including 28 in Devgadh Baria had been paid from the MGNREGA funds towards alleged supply of materials. 'There are certainly other persons the police are looking for. They are owners of the other agencies, who have also been paid for supply of material. The police are also probing if Balvantsinh or Kiran Khabad through their influence in the area floated any additional agencies under names of others. So far, on record, only two agencies — Raj Construction and Raj Traders— reflect against their names,' the official said. 'During the investigation, if owners of other agencies who received payments cannot be tracked down, the probe will obviously take a different turn,' the official added. On Tuesday, in a video issued by close aides of Bachubhai Khabad, the minister was heard blaming the Congress party for 'baseless allegations'. Stating that he and his sons were involved in the business of supplying material and were not engaged for 'labour contracts', Khabad said, 'The Congress has been making allegations (of MGNREGA scam) since last six months)… There has been an allegation against 35 agencies. My sons also run a material supplying business since 2018. They do not have any other business. We can sell this even in the open market. We do not have labour nor have we been given the contract for labour work in this (project)… The administration is conducting an investigation and I trust the probe of the administration. Whatever it concludes, we will accept…' Khabad further added, 'The Congress has been making such allegations every year since long. They have moved the High Court against me on two occasions. The High Court has given me a clean chit.' 'I have been in politics for 25 years and not a single allegation of corruption has been made during my tenure as a Cabinet Minister. In this term, my department has worked hard to move Panchayat processes online to ensure transparency … The baseless allegations made by the Congress are a sign of their frustration,' the minister said. Bachubhai Khabad did not respond to calls and text messages from this newspaper, seeking a direct comment on the issue.
