Caught on cam: TN official takes bribe under free gold for mangalsutra scheme
A Tamil Nadu official was caught on camera taking bribe while registering names of underprivileged women under free gold for mangalsutra scheme.
A video of a government official taking bribe from the beneficiaries of the Government Special Schemes in Dharampuri has gone viral.
In the video recorded on Friday, it can be seen that people gathered at the RDO office in Pennagaram to register their names for availing government's special scheme of Gold for Mangal Sutra for the underprivileged women.
The scheme was introduced by former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, and it provides free gold for mangalsutra (thali in Tamil) for the underprivileged women.
THE BRIBE
The gold for the mangalsutra was to be distributed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy in Dharmapuri as part of the MGR Centenary celebrations.
In the video, a woman government official asked a beneficiary to register her name in the log book. The woman then gives out Rs 500 to the official who was maintaining the log.
The woman official maintaining the log book can then be seen keeping the money in a bag.
The video is now doing rounds on the internet, opening a dialogue on corruption in India.
Reacting to this, DMK spokesperson Manu Sundaram said, "A government which won the Floor Test after paying bribes to MLAs is now caught collecting bribes from the poor and needy citizens."
"Who knows whether this minority government will need to pay MLAs again in the impending Floor Test. Nevertheless, it is tragic to see this happening in the name of MGR Centenary Celebrations."
"If these beneficiaries are going to share the stage with the CM tomorrow, then it would prove that he is also part of the group extorting bribes from the people of the state."
When India Today tried to contact the Dharampurai Collector, there was no response to this allegation.