�Raipur: “Sunny Leon” is one of the beneficiaries of the ‘Mahatari Vandan’ scheme of the Chhattisgarh government providing a monthly incentive of Rs 1,000.
It may sound bizarre but a preliminary official probe has found that a fake beneficiary in the name of the ex-porn star and Bollywood actor has been enrolled under the scheme launched by the Chhattisgarh government for empowerment of women, a year ago.
“A fake beneficiary in the name of Sunny Leone has been found to have been registered under the Mahatari Vandan scheme in the village of Talur in Bastar district. I have ordered the district women and child development department to probe the matter.
I have also directed to seize the bank account concerned and recover the amount given to the fake beneficiary under the scheme”, Bastar district collector Harish S said on Sunday.
According to the local district project officer, the preliminary investigation has suggested that the name has been registered as a beneficiary under the scheme in the ID of the local Anganwadi worker Vedmati Joshi.
“One Virendra Joshi has been found to have been transferring the money deposited in the bank account opened in the name of the fake beneficiary to his bank account fraudulently”, a spokesman of Bastar district administration said.
An amount of Rs 1,000 has been transferred to the account of the fake beneficiary every month from March 2024 to December 2024 under the scheme.
A FIR was filed in the case in the Bastar police station on Sunday, he added.
Disciplinary action will be taken against the local Anganwadi worker and the supervisor concerned of the women and child development department in the case, official sources said.
Around 70 lakh women beneficiaries have been registered as beneficiaries under the scheme.
The scheme, one of the pre-poll-promises of the ruling BJP, had proved to be a game changer in the 2023 Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, returning the party to power in the state.
Chhattisgarh Congress president Deepak Baij on Sunday cited the case of fake beneficiary while alleging large scale corruption in the implementation of the scheme.
BJP MLA Sushant Shukla however countered him saying that the previous Congress government in the state had failed to release even the widow and old age pensions.