Govt official held for taking bribe from farmer for subsidy release

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ABC) has arrested a senior official of the Chhattisgarh horticulture department in Raipur for allegedly demanding a bribe from a farmer for releasing the subsidy amount, an official said on Saturday.

The anti-graft agency arrested Paramjeet Singh Gurudatt on Friday for allegedly demanding 50 per cent of the subsidy amount received by the farmer under a government scheme, he said.

The action against the official was taken based on a complaint received from the farmer, who is engaged in the cultivation of high-value tomatoes, he added.

"After the subsidy amount of Rs 2,66,000 was transferred into the complainant's bank account, the accused official started demanding 50 per cent of the subsidy as a bribe. The accused even went to the complainant's residence to demand the bribe, where his act of demanding the money was captured on a camera," the ACB official said.

The complainant then approached the ACB and also furnished the video footage, he said.

Acting on the complaint, the ACB arrested the official and booked him under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.