gujarat-minister-s-son-held-in-second-mgnrega-scam-case

Days after being granted bail in a ₹71-crore scam involving funds of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Balvant Khabad was arrested on Sunday by Gujarat’s Dahod ‘B’ division police in another case registered against him for receiving payments despite not completing a Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) project.

Balvant Khabad is son of Gujarat’s Minister of State for Panchayat and Agriculture, Bachubhai Khabad.
“As per the FIR registered on May 31, Khabad’s firm received payments of ₹33.86 lakh from the government without completing work allotted to it under the MGNREGA at Bhanpur village in Dahod’s Dhanpur taluka in 2022-23,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police, Jagdishsinh Bhandari.

This is the third FIR lodged by Dahod police since April after authorities found out that payments were made to various agencies despite the fact that they did not supply the material for which they were given the contract under the MGNREGA. The FIR mentions that Balvant’s firm, ‘Shree Raj Construction Company, Pipero’, in connivance with government employees, managed to get ₹33.86 lakh without supplying material for the MGNREGA project carried out at Bhanpur village.

Earlier on May 16, both Balvant and his brother Kiran were arrested on charges of cheating, forgery and breach of trust after the first FIR was registered in April in connection with the alleged MGNREGA scam of ₹71 crore.

As per the FIR, various agencies had not completed the assigned work or supplied the required materials between 2021 and 2024 but claimed payments by submitting bogus work completion certificates and forged documents.

Balvant and Kiran were released on bail on May 29 in the first FIR; but while Kiran was arrested the same day in another case, Balvant was arrested on Sunday after a fresh FIR against him on Saturday.

According to police, Balvant and Kiran are proprietors of agencies implicated in fraudulent MGNREGA projects carried out in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas of Dahod district.

As per the FIR lodged by Dahod 'B' division police on May 29 against agency owners and government officials, a payment of ₹18.41 lakh had been made to agencies, including a firm owned by Kiran, despite incomplete work carried out in Lavaria village of Dahod under the MGNREGA.