District Collector Chandra Sekhar Sakhamuri has suspended three contractual employees attached to the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) scheme of the Department of Agriculture for alleged irregularities in the implementation of the PM-KISAN Nidhi scheme in Cuddalore district.
The officials -- Kammapuram block technology manager Bhagyaraj, Nallur block assistant technology manager Saravanan and Keerapalayam block crop insurance scheme employee Sundararaman -- were suspended following a preliminary enquiry.
The PM-Kisan Nidhi scheme aims to give ₹6,000 a year in three instalments a year to farmers who own up to two hectares of cultivable land.
The scam came to light recently after the third instalment was credited into the bank accounts of beneficiaries. As many as 1.79 lakh farmers are covered under the scheme in Cuddalore district.
The district administration has already launched an enquiry to ascertain the exact number of bogus beneficiaries in the scheme.
