Bribery Scandal in Uttar Pradesh's Social Welfare Department

A supervisor and another staffer of Uttar Pradesh's Social Welfare Department were booked for allegedly demanding a bribe from a woman to include her in the widow pension scheme beneficiary list. The case was registered following a complaint and subsequent investigation, which revealed the demands for bribes.

A bribery scandal has rocked Uttar Pradesh's Social Welfare Department as a supervisor and another staffer have been booked for allegedly soliciting a bribe from a woman in exchange for including her name in the beneficiaries list of the widow pension scheme, officials disclosed on Friday.

Ballia District Magistrate DM Praveen Kumar Lakshkar confirmed the registration of an FIR following a complaint by Social Welfare Officer Deepak Srivastava. The FIR was filed under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Supervisor Vinod Kumar Verma and staffer Randhir Singh.

The allegations arose after Neha Singh from Tagharoli village complained about the illegal demands. The investigation revealed that Singh initially requested Rs 1,000 and subsequently increased the amount to Rs 9,000. Singh claimed the instruction came from Vinod Sharma, further implicating both officials in the scandal.

(With inputs from agencies.)