The ‘tab scam’ in Mamata Banerjee-ruled West Bengal affected at least 1911 students across 15 districts until Friday (November 15th).
According to reports, 93 First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered across the State and a total of 11 arrests have been made so far.
The ‘tab scam’ pertains to the siphoning of funds from the bank accounts of beneficiaries of ‘Taruner Swapno’ Scheme.
Under this scheme that was launched in 2022, the Mamata government disburses a sum of ₹10,000 to the bank accounts of students in Classes 11th and 12th for the purchase of smartphones and tablets.
The objective behind the ‘Taruner Swapno’ scheme is to bridge the digital divide between the students. An amount of ₹900 crores was allocated for the scheme in the Financial Year 2024-2025.
The high-profile financial fraud is unique in the sense that money was siphoned off despite being a ‘direct benefit scheme’ where funds are transferred directly to the bank account of beneficiaries and eliminating the ‘middle man’.
