A shocking case of wage fraud has come to light in Yadgir district. Men were caught dressing as women to steal money meant for female workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). This fraud took place in Maldar village during a project to clean a drain.
The problem started when photos of men in sarees working in a field began to circulate online. The project cost ₹3 lakh, but the records showed that there should be only 6 men and 4 women working. However, instead of women, men disguised as women signed in to receive wages for work they did not do.
The local leader, Lavesh Oradiya, said the numbers didn’t match and confirmed that these men were pretending to be women to take their wages. The scheme seems to have been planned by Viresh, a contract worker with the Panchayat Department. He has been suspended for his role in this scam.
Investigation revealed that fake attendance records were made using an app, which allowed them to fraudulently create payments under the names of working women. Chennabasava, a local official, said he was not involved and suspended the worker responsible as soon as he heard about the problem.
Local women workers are upset and feel betrayed, as this program is meant to help them earn a living. Despite this, other NREGA projects continue in the area to provide work and reduce migration during the summer. Taluk Panchayat Executive Officer Ramappa Doddmani visited another project and encouraged local residents to take advantage of these job opportunities. He reminded workers that wages will increase from ₹349 to ₹370 starting from April 1, 2025. He urged that only those who are actually working should be marked present.
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