PM-Kisan norms eased for Covid, TN probes Rs 110 crore fraud, 18 held

Of the Rs 110 crore-plus siphoned off, Rs 32 crore has been retrieved, mostly from bank accounts directly. The government said they expected to retrieve the remaining amount too, within 40 days.

THE Tamil Nadu government has discovered a scam amounting to over Rs 110 crore in the PM-Kisan Scheme, with money withdrawn fraudulently online with the help of government officials and local-level politicians. Initial estimates show nearly five-and-a-half lakh people may have benefited as advantage was taken of clearance norms being relaxed after the Covid-19 lockdown began.

Principal Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi said they first…