Govt sits on CBI request for sanction to prosecute 20 docs

The Akhilesh Yadav government has been sitting on a CBI request, seeking sanction for the prosecution of 20 doctors and two clerks of the Family Welfare Department in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in Lucknow, since May.

Sources in the agency, which is investigating the case on the orders of the Allahabad High Court, said they can't file the chargesheet against these persons only because of the delay by the state government.

After sending the request, the CBI investigating officer has visited senior government officials several times, but each time he was told that the government was seeking legal opinion.

The doctors face charges of sanctioning payments on fake bills of vehicles which actually were not hired, issuing fake fuel bills for ambulances, procuring substandard medical equipment and medicines at high rates, and sanctioning payments to private firms and the contractors for publicity materials for various NRHM schemes, which were never printed or distributed.

Sources said the irregularities were detected in Janani Suraksha Yojna (JSY), Reproductive Child Health (RCH) programme and District Blindness Control Programme (DBCP) during 2010-2011.

The CBI investigation found that the doctors were supposed to distribute cash incentive to pregnant women — Rs 1,400 in rural area and Rs 1,100 in urban area — for ensuring safe deliveries under JSY, but the names of the beneficiaries could not be corroborated. Misappropriation of over Rs 25 lakh was detected. Similarly, the doctors produced fake bills for hiring vehicles for vaccination under RCH programme. This way, Rs 20 lakh was embezzled.

In DBCP, besides purchasing substandard equipment, the doctors in connivance with some private hospitals, prepared fake lists of patients showing eye operations. In the process, Rs 50 was embezzled, sources said.

The doctors include District TB officer Dr KK Saxena, ACMO and District Programme Manager Dr Chitra Singh, ACMO Dr RB Lal, Superintendents of Bal Mahila Chikitsalayas (BMCs) Dr Sumedha Yadav, Dr Anju Bala, Dr Rekha Chaudhary, Dr Anjali Pant, Dr CK Jaiswal, Dr Chitra Saxena and Dr Deepa Bharti.

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