The Puducherry Police have arrested two persons from Tamil Nadu for trying to cheat prospective beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana Scheme (PM-Vishwakarma Scheme) in Bahour village.
P.K. Sajith, inspector, Bahour Police Station, identified the accused persons as Murugaiyan and his wife Maheswari. Both are residents of Thiruvathigai village in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu.
The duo allegedly collected ₹250 each from around 154 persons in the Bahour area, telling them this was for enrolment to the PM Vishwakarma Scheme. The scheme, launched by the Central government in September last year, involves a skill development programme, loans based on concessional interest rates, incentives to buy toolkit and marketing support for identified artisans and craftspeople.
The scheme only allows online registration through Common Service Centres. The duo however, collected money from artisans in the village by promising to assist them in enrolment, training and obtaining of loans, the police said.
Mr. Sajith said the police have recovered around ₹38,000 from the accused persons.
