A block-level officer in the Department of Social Welfare and Women Empowerment for Chengam taluk in Tiruvannamalai, was arrested by Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) officials on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, for demanding and taking a bribe of ₹3,000 from a couple to enroll their daughters under the Chief Minister’s Girl Child Protection Scheme.
DVAC sources said that the complainant S. Kesavan (28) and his wife K. Jaya (24) are agricultural workers in Karungalipadipatti village in Chengam taluk. They have two daughters. They decided to enroll their daughters under the Chief Minister’s Girl Child Protection Scheme, where an amount of ₹25,000 is deposited for girl children in the form of fixed deposits with the Tamil Nadu Power Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.
Accordingly, the couple applied at the e-seva centre in Chengam town in October 2022. Since then, they have frequently visited the block-level office of the department to know the status of their application for their daughters.
On March 1, they were informed by the officer K. Jeeva, the accused person, that they should come to her office on March 4 with the relevant documents for the scheme. When the couple met her in the office, Ms. Jeeva initially demanded ₹5,000 to process the application. Later, she reduced the amount to ₹3,000.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the couple lodged a complaint with the DVAC. A seven-member team led by S. Velmurugan, DSP, DVAC (Tiruvannamalai), laid a trap and caught Ms. Jeeva red-handed. A case has been registered against her.
