‘Saubhagya’ scam worth ₹86 lakh exposed in Bhind:Contractor from Gwalior got contract on minister’s advice; 90,000 homes billed without meters

A scam of ₹86 lakh has come to light in Bhind district under the Saubhagya Yojana. A contractor from Gwalior, reportedly backed by a minister, is said to have colluded with electricity officials to claim payment by showing meter installation work as complete on paper. Even now, estimated bills are being charged to around 90,000 consumers who do not have meters, raising questions about the scheme’s transparency and accountability. Electricity meters were meant to be installed in about 22 villages in the Ater region between 2018 and 2025, but not a single meter has been set up in six years. To check the ground reality, the Dainik Bhaskar team visited several villages in Ater. They spoke to consumers and found locations where the contractor had hidden the Saubhagya Yojana meters. Verification on paper, meters missing on the ground There are about 22 villages including Baureshwar, Dulhagan, Kamai, Ahrauli Ghat, Chaumho, Kadaura, Jauri, Surpura, Prataptpura, Jamhaura, and Kalyanpura, located in the Chambal ravines region, where electricity lines and meters were to be installed under the Saubhagya scheme between 2018 and 2025. All these villages fall under the Ater region of Bhind district. A tender worth about 86 lakh rupees was awarded to Yash Upadhyay firm of Gwalior for laying electricity supply lines and installing meters in these villages. It is alleged that the firm’s operators colluded with electricity company officials and got the bills passed without installing the meters. By showing the work completed on paper, payment of lakhs of rupees from government funds was obtained, whereas at the ground level, meters are still missing. Physical verification shown in records According to sources, the concerned officials of that time were also aware of this irregularity. Despite this, they showed the physical verification completed on paper without conducting a ground-level inspection. After this, the contractor obtained the payment by leveraging his high connections. The result of this was that in villages where electricity meters have not been installed to date, consumers are forced to pay arbitrary and estimated bills. This has increased the financial burden on common people and raised questions about the transparency of the entire system. Bhaskar team reached the warehouse where the meters were hidden After receiving information about the matter, the Dainik Bhaskar team started an in-depth investigation. The team reached different villages in the Ater region and spoke to the villagers. During this, a person came forward who had inside information about the entire system. He put a condition that he would lead them to the place where the electricity contractor had hidden the meters of the Saubhagya Yojana, but the name of the place would not be made public. After the team’s assurance, the person led the Bhaskar team to a warehouse. It was observed at the spot that a large number of electricity meters were hidden in a closed and dark room. All the meters were new. Their packing was also intact. The team recorded a video of the entire room. As the layers of the scam unfolded, it came to light that Yash Upadhyay, a contractor from Gwalior, had secured the tender for installing meters under the Saubhagya Yojana in Bhind district. People associated with the electricity company, on condition of anonymity, stated that the contractor took advantage of his proximity to a minister. The contract was awarded at the minister’s behest. Under his pressure, officials approved fake bills. Pressure was exerted on officials from senior to junior levels, due to which payments continued to be made without any work being done, causing a loss of over 86 lakh rupees to the Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company. Meters not installed in 90 thousand homes An official of the electricity company described the entire matter as a big scam in a conversation. According to the official, electricity meters were not installed in about 90 thousand houses under the Saubhagya scheme, while the installation of meters was shown on paper. The situation is that even today, electricity consumption in these houses is being assessed on an estimated basis, meaning consumers are being charged through flat billing, the direct financial loss of which is being borne by the general public. This case not only raises questions about the credibility of the Saubhagya Yojana, but also exposes how contractors, officials, and political patronage are being used to play a game of crores by showing government schemes as completed on paper. Deputy General Manager said – This is a matter of investigation Contractor Yash Upadhyay was contacted several times. The phone was answered the first time, but the call was disconnected as soon as a question was asked. After that, neither the phone was answered, nor any reply was received to WhatsApp messages. In this entire matter, Vishal Upadhyay, the General Manager and Deputy General Manager of the electricity company, stated that there was a plan to install electricity meters under the Saubhagya scheme in the Ater region, but even today there are many villages where there are no electricity meters. He also said that why the meters were not installed is a matter of investigation. I will not be able to say much about this.