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Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
10 talathis suspended in Jalna farmer compensation scam, FIR likely
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Jalna district administration suspended 10 talathis on Friday for their alleged involvement in misappropriating Rs 34.97 crore of crop compensation meant for farmers. This action follows the findings of a govt-appointed probe committee that identified significant irregularities in how the aid was distributed. Jalna district collector Shrikrishna Panchal verified the suspensions and said additional disciplinary actions are in progress. "Showcause notices were earlier issued to all the officials named in the report. Based on their replies and the severity of charges, we have suspended 10 talathis so far," he said. Sources said authorities are considering filing police complaints against the guilty parties. A senior official told TOI: "Departmental action has already started, and the possibility of criminal proceedings, including an FIR, is being discussed at a senior level." The irregularities came to light during an audit of Rs 79 crore disbursed as crop loss compensation for damage caused by excessive rainfall, floods, and hailstorms in 2022, 2023, and 2024. This amount was part of a larger Rs 450crore compensation package for the Jalna district. The investigation discovered claims were made even on govt-owned class-II lands. The investigation revealed that Rs 34.97 crore, from the Rs 79 crore allotment, was misappropriated through fraudulent inclusion of ineligible beneficiaries. The deception involved the manipulation of beneficiary records from Ambad and Ghansawangi talukas, affecting 1.79 lakh farmer accounts. The investigation extends to gram sevaks and agricultural assistants, with departmental proceedings anticipated. Officials continue to examine the remaining Rs 7 crore from the audited amount, assuring that legitimate farmers will not suffer due to these corrective measures. BJP MLA Narayan Kuche and former minister Babanrao Lonikar want FIRs to be filed against govt officials at all levels for allegedly diverting funds intended for farmers. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Over Rs 56 crore disbursed in compensation to ineligible farmers in Jalna, collector submits interim inquiry report to govt
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: An initial investigation by the Jalna district administration has uncovered significant irregularities in govt compensation distribution to farmers affected by natural disasters. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The interim report, submitted by district collector Shrikrishna Panchal to state govt, reveals duplicate payments, fraudulent beneficiaries, and inaccurate land record representations under various govt resolutions between Nov 2022 and Feb 2024. The estimated misappropriation of farmers' compensation funds amounts to Rs 56 crore. Collector Panchal said, "We initiated the inquiry on Jan 28, 2025, after receiving random complaints regarding compensation irregularities. We formed a three-member committee to conduct the probe across the district. The committee comprises the Ambad sub-divisional officer, deputy collector (rehabilitation), and a naib tehsildar." Following BJP Badnapur MLA Narayan Kuche's complaint to the chief minister in April 2025, the chief minister's office (CMO) requested a comprehensive report from the district administration. According to the interim report submitted on April 17, 2025, the investigation examined compensation distributed to farmers across 125 villages in Ambad taluka and 36 villages in Ghansawangi taluka under govt resolutions dated Nov 17, 2022, June 20, 2023, Feb 29, 2024 (Ambad), and Nov 17, 2022, June 20, 2023, Jan 31, 2024, in Ghansawangi. The verification process covered 26,645 beneficiaries, revealing numerous fraudulent entries. A team of four revenue assistants and 15 newly appointed gram revenue officers conducted comparisons between the e-Panchnama Payment Disbursement Portal and land ownership records. They implemented a colour-coding system: Yellow indicated names absent from land records, orange showed excess land claims, red highlighted govt land, and blue marked duplicate entries. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The report excludes instances of dry land falsely registered as orchard land, pending verification. Changes in beneficiary data after Jan 1, 2025, await inclusion, and updated figures will follow tehsildar re-verification. The Ghansawangi tehsildar has not responded to clarification requests made on March 3 and April 16, 2025. Investigations continue in 13 villages of Ambad and 81 villages of Ghansawangi talukas. The district administration established a five-member expert committee on April 11, 2025, led by the collector, including the district council CEO, additional district collector, superintendent agriculture officer, and resident deputy collector. The administration has also intensified fund recovery efforts, collecting approximately ₹5 crore from ineligible beneficiaries. Officials receive weekly directives to accelerate the recovery process. For distributions after Sept 2024 under two govt resolutions, ₹448.3 crore was allocated to 2,81,532 beneficiaries. The administration confirms implementing safeguards against similar irregularities. The state government awaits the final report upon investigation's completion. Box: Irregularities identified by the committee: 1 Duplicate entries of the same beneficiary receiving aid more than once. 2 Compensation transferred to people who do not own agricultural land. 3 Discrepancies where the beneficiary's name on the portal did not match land ownership records (8-A extracts). 4 Granting of orchard crop compensation to claimants with only dry or minimal irrigated land 5 Entries showing agricultural land on govt plots. 6 Inflated land areas used to claim higher compensation.
