NHB official among five booked in cheating case

JAMMU: Five persons, including a top official of National Horticulture Board, have been booked on charges of cheating the State Bank of India by submitting fake proposals to claim subsidy under a government scheme.

Sham Singh, hailing from Samba, allegedly entered into criminal conspiracy with J B Singh, then assistant director NHB, and officials of SBI's Vijaypur branch, a CBI spokesman said today.

Singh submitted false proposals for launching various projects for cultivation of strawberry and other fruit plantation under a scheme where promoters are given subsidy of 20 per cent of the total cost of the project, he said

The project is required to be inspected by officers of NHB and the bank from time to time. The beneficiary is required to contribute his own part of finance and get the loan from the bank. Once the project is completed the beneficiary claims the subsidy on the project's total cost.

During investigation, it came to fore that Singh submitted repeated claims for strawberry, gladiolus and leechi plantations on the same piece of land and sought subsidy to the tune of Rs five lakh from time to time.

However, it was found that these projects were not launched, the spokesman claimed.