The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) job scheme has once again become the target of fraudsters, this time in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh. The pictures of Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone and Jacqueline Fernandez have reportedly been used on the 'fake' job cards to claim benefits. The local residents alleged that the panchayat secretary and employment assistant were involved in committing this fraud. The shocking incident has been reported from Piperkhed Naka village under Ziranya panchayat, 70 km from the district headquarters.
Locals say that instead of the pictures of local residents, the job cards carry the pictures of Bollywood celebrities. Not only the picture fraud but the wages have also been released on these fake job cards. In one of the job cards, the picture of film actress Deepika Padukone was used in the name of one Monu Shivshankar.Another man identified as Sonu Shantilal had the picture of Jacqueline Fernandez on the job card in his name.Many villagers said they don't even know the amount was released in their names as they never went to work. Ziranya is the same panchayat which had got the first place in the country in paying 100 per cent wages to labourers under MGNREGA.