Eleven more officials, including village revenue officers, have been suspended by the Jalna district administration in Maharashtra for alleged involvement in embezzlement of funds worth Rs 34.97 crore meant for farmers hit by natural calamities. District Collector Shrikrishna Panchal ordered the suspension of these 11 state government staffers on Thursday evening, taking the number of such personnel to 21 so far, reported the news agency PTI. The latest personnel to face action included seven village revenue officers (talathis) and four senior clerks posted at the tehsil office of Jalna district in central Maharashtra
Ten lathis were suspended on June 13 in connection with the scam. In a related development, the official informed PTI that an investigation has been launched against an additional 35 village revenue officers suspected of involvement in the scam.
According to district authorities, the scam involved the misappropriation of Rs 34.97 crore in compensation, which was allocated to assist farmers impacted by adverse weather events. The embezzled funds were allegedly siphoned off by a network of local government employees, including lathis, gram sevak, and agricultural assistants.
On June 13, the district collector suspended 10 talathis following revelations that some had individually embezzled over Rs 1 crore. The scam came to light after a preliminary audit revealed that 26 officials in Ambad and Ghansawangi tehsils were involved in misappropriating Rs 34.97 crore between 2022 and 2024.