Maharashtra government officials arrested for graft

MUMBAI: A Maharashtra government official was caught along with a clerk while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 45,000 from a grape farmer inside his office here on Friday, police said.

Sandesh Tadvi (41), under secretary with the Cooperative, Marketing and Textile department, was caught along with clerk Prasad Kulkarni while allegedly accepting a bribe from a grape farmer from Sangli district for permission to avail benefit of an export promotion scheme, Additional Deputy Commissioner Anti-Corruption Bureau, Vilas Tupe said.

Shinde had taken a loan in 1994 and under the scheme announced last year the entire interest amount can be waived.

The farmer from Sangli's Tasgaon tehsil wanted to avail benefit under the scheme and Tadvi asked for a bribe of Rs 60,000 on April 17, Tupe said.

Shinde filed a complaint with the ACB and a trap was laid on Friday after negotiating the amount to Rs 45,000, he said.

Tasgaon is Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister RR Patil's constituency.

The ACB also searched the residences of Tadvi and Kulkarni.

The Home department has recently decided to take stern action against corrupt officials and has also asked all the other departments to identify corrupt officials so that the ACB can take action against them.