Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance on Monday apprehended a MGNREGA Assistant posted in Kalahandi district while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹35,000 from a beneficiary for facilitating the release of bill payments under the MGNREGA scheme.
The accused, Priyanka Jena, MGNREGA Assistant in the office of the Project Director (Watershed), Bhawanipatna, was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe from a beneficiary who had executed farm pond works under the scheme.
According to Vigilance officials, the beneficiary had already received a bill payment of ₹2.68 lakh, but Jena allegedly demanded ₹35,000 for processing the released amount and clearing the remaining pending bill. She reportedly threatened not to facilitate the release of the balance payment unless the bribe was paid.
After repeated requests by the beneficiary allegedly went unheeded, he approached Odisha Vigilance and lodged a complaint.
Acting on the complaint, Vigilance officials laid a trap and caught Jena while she was accepting the bribe amount. The entire tainted money of ₹35,000 was recovered from her possession and seized.
Following the trap, simultaneous searches are being conducted at two locations linked to the accused to ascertain any disproportionate assets.
A case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 at Koraput Vigilance Police Station vide Case No. 09/2026. Further investigation is underway.
