Died 30 Times on Paper! ₹11 Crore Snake Bite Relief Fund SCAM in MP

A massive corruption case has come to light in Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh. This case involves the misuse of government relief funds meant for families of victims who died from snake bites or lightning strikes. 

The Madhya Pradesh government runs a relief program where families receive Rs. 4 lakh as financial assistance if someone dies from a snake bite or lightning strike. Under this scheme, the local Tehsildar or SDO visits the deceased's home to conduct an investigation, checks the post-mortem report to determine the cause of death, and then prepares official documents with the help of village officials before providing the relief amount to the affected family.

Officials in Kevlari Tehsil, Seoni District, took advantage of this scheme for their personal benefit. They transferred money to fake accounts without conducting any proper investigation, created documents using forged signatures, and exploited weaknesses in the IFMIS fund distribution system. The quality of signature forgery was such that it looked worse than children's attempts at copying signatures. The original signature of the official was so simple that corrupt employees just drew a vertical line over a horizontal line and completed their fraud.

The CAG report states that the total amount of the scam is Rs 11 crore and 64 lakh. The scam involved the creation of 81 fake bills and the transfer of money to 59 unauthorised individuals via 291 fraudulent sanction orders. The most shocking example is that of Shreshth Avadhiya, whose name was used 30 times for fake snakebite reports to withdraw Rs 1.2 crore, though this money actually went to someone named Ramesh.

The CAG has pointed out the suspicious role of Kevlari's DDO Sachin Dahayat in this case. He was the only officer authorised to approve these payments and made unauthorised payments worth crores without proper documentation like FIRs or investigation reports.

In this scam, certain individuals have been recorded as having "died" more than 15 times on paper within just 2 years. The rules should have stipulated a maximum amount of Rs 4 lakh, but instead, they distributed crores of rupees. People like Shreshth and Lalit had over Rs 100 lakh issued in their names. The most unfortunate aspect is that such a massive scam occurred even in the era of Digital India, showing how government schemes are misused and the rights of poor people are violated. 

Support us to keep independent environmental journalism alive in India.

More Video Reports

May Rains Hit Tendu Leaf Collectors in Madhya Pradesh

Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project: Water Crisis Solution for Two States

Kanh Close Duct: MP Diverts Polluted River Ahead of 2028 Kumbh Mela

Khari tourism village: Where tradition meets sustainability

Stay connected with Ground Report for underreported environmental stories.

Follow us on X, Instagram, and Facebook; share your thoughts at [email protected]; subscribe to our weekly newsletter for deep dives from the margins; join our WhatsApp community for real-time updates; and catch our video reports on YouTube.

Your support amplifies voices too often overlooked—thank you for being part of the movement.