Gujarat Minister’s Son Arrested In Rs 75 Crore MGNREGA Scam In Dahod
Dahod: In an alleged Rs 75 crore MGNREGA scam in Gujarat’s Dahod district, the local police on Saturday arrested Balvantsinh Khabad, son of Gujarat Minister of State for Panchayat and Agriculture, Bachu Khabad. The arrest follows a primary investigation linking him to irregularities in the execution and billing of rural development projects in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas.
Balvantsinh, who runs a supply firm named Shri Raj Traders, is accused of inflating bills and submitting invoices for undelivered materials meant for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) projects. According to the police, his agency was awarded contracts through a subverted tendering process that favored non-qualified bidders.
The scam came to light in April after a complaint was filed by B.M. Patel, then Director of the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA). The FIR alleged large-scale corruption involving government officials and private contractors. Investigators found that contracts were awarded in violation of norms, with payments released for infrastructure projects, such as road construction, that were either partially completed or nonexistent.
In villages like Kuva and Redhana, documents show that roads billed for construction were never built. In Seemamoi, only a fraction of the 19.2 km road project was reportedly completed, though full payments had been processed. These revelations were corroborated by site inspections and local testimonies.
Alongside Balvantsinh, former Town Development Officer Darshan Patel was also arrested. Their arrests bring the total number of individuals taken into custody in this case to seven. Earlier, police had arrested two MGNREGA accountants—Jayveer Nagori and Mahipalsinh Chauhan—along with Gram Rojgar Sevaks Kuldeep Baria and Mangalsinh Pateliya, and technical assistant Manish Patel.
Reacting to the developments, Congress leader Amit Chavda criticized the BJP government for inaction despite repeated warnings. “Under the BJP’s rule in 30 years, corruption is the first virtue in administration… Despite repeated complaints of corruption in the MGNREGA scheme in Dahod, where projects have not been executed on the ground but bills have been cleared, the government did not take steps. The Congress has been raising the issue time and again, in writing and orally, as well as through questions in the Assembly,” Chavda said.
The case continues to draw widespread public and political attention as investigators examine financial records, contracts, and on-ground project statuses to trace the full scale of the embezzlement.