NRHM scam: CBI opens more inquiries

While the CBI's Lucknow special crime branch will conduct six PEs, Dehradun and Ghaziabad units will enquire into three matters each, said a senior CBI official.

The STF unit of Delhi CBI will conduct 11 PEs into various UP districts.

Sixteen of the preliminary enquiries are related to alleged irregularities in the procurement of medicines, surgical equipment, publicity material and other articles under various NRHM schemes across the state between 2005 and 2011.

The CBI had, earlier, registered 18 cases into the UP NRHM scam last year, while two other cases related to irregularities in Lucknow district had been registered in August, 2011. CBI teams from Delhi have been investigating the matter on the directive of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court.

About 25 accused have been arrested so far and some of them are out on bail.

An official said that the Lucknow SCB has registered PEs into the alleged irregularities related to Allahabad, Sultanpur, Banda, Jhansi, Azamgarh and Shahjahanpur districts.

Similarly, the Dehradun unit has lodged PEs into the matters related to Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and Bijnore, while Ghaziabad will conduct PEs into the alleged irregularities detected in Aligarh, Moradabad and Bareilly districts.

The STF unit of Delhi will conduct PEs into the districts which include Agra, Farrukhabad, Mainpuri, Chitrakoot, Gonda, Balrampur, Basti and Sidharth Nagar.

The official also said that the documents related to purchases have been sought from the offices of Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) and district health societies in the concerned districts.

The documents include letters issued from NRHM Mission office and directorates of health & family welfare regarding works and funds allotted to these districts. Besides, names of the suppliers and the expenditure incurred on the purchases and the procurement have also been sought, said the official.

The official said that proper cases will be registered into the matters on the basis of the findings in the PEs.

Innocent doctors were also trapped: Akhilesh

LUCKNOW: CM Akhilesh Yadav Thursday said that many innocent doctors have landed in jail in the multi-crore NRHM scam. "NRHM scam maligned the image of UP. Fingers were raised at medical and health department. It involved several thousand crores. Doctors too have been sent to jail. Many of them were innocent but had to surrender as they had no option," he said.

ALSO READ

Pawan Bansal gave 'illegal favours' as minister for water resources

No one can influence process to fill the Railway Board posts: Pawan Bansal

Anti-Church article in BJP magazine shows split in Sangh Parivar

HC orders 3-phase rural polls in Bengal