NRHM scam: CBI issues notices to 11 officers, politicians

LUCKNOW: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday morning issued notices to 11 officers, contractors and politicians summoning them to Delhi headquarters of the agency for questioning in connection with the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam. In Lucknow, a dozen member team of the CBI has started visitng the primary health centers and community centers to verify if the money sanctioned to the people under different schemes of the NRHM were actually received by them and if yes then how have they spent it. The verification Those issued notices by the CBI include the Narendra Jain and his son Vivek Jain of Moradabad along with their business contact Saurabh Jain. Saurabh is believed to be the link between the former minister for family welfare Babu Singh Kushwaha and the contractors. The link is being seen as a critical one with regards to establishing the connivance of Kushwaha in the scam. The focus of the CBI investigations at these CHCs and PHCs is the implementation of Janani Suraksha Yojna (JSY) aimed at promoting institutionalised delivery of preagnent women in order to improve the infant mortality rate. In this scheme every expecting woman is entitled to a financial help of Rs 1400 in cash the child is delivered at the CHC / PHC. The CBI probe has unearthed instances where money was given to women as old as 60 years in age for delivery. In some places, initial verification has revealed that the beneficiary mentioned in the records was actually a man. In some other instances, some woman who had died 10 years ago, were issued financial help. In order to gather concrete evidence in these anomalies the CBI is conducting the verification exercise at the ground level and infront of the signing authority.

NRHM scam: CBI arrests P.K. Jain in NRHM fund Scam

The CBI on Thursday arrested a bureaucrat from Uttar Pradesh, marking the first major arrest in the multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in that state. The General Manager of Construction & Design Services (C & DS) in UP Jal Nigam, P K Jain, was arrested by the CBI in connection with one of the FIRs in which former UP Family Welfare Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha is also an accused. The arrest came a day after the agency carried out inter-state searches at about 60 locations, including the residence of Kushwaha. Jain was called to the CBI headquarters in Delhi and later put under arrest and taken to Ghaziabad court which remanded him in CBI custody till January 13. Besides Jain, those who were called for questioning were S P Ram, former DG of family welfare, Abhay Kumar Vajpayee, Managing Director of Uttar Pradesh Small Industries Corporation Ltd, Saurabh Jain, owner of Guru Kripa Medicals. Saurabh, considered close to Kushwaha, is also likely to be arrested. Another former DG of family welfare, R R Bharti, was also summoned by the CBI in Lucknow. The CBI had registered a case against P K Jain on January 2 for allegedly causing a loss of Rs 5.46 crore in the upgrading work of 134 district hospitals. The CBI alleged that Rs 13.4 crore was given to Construction and Design Services, a unit of UP Jal Nigam, for the upgrade work of 134 districts hospitals across the state. It alleged that the work was sub-let to Ghaziabad-based Surgicoin Medi Equipt Pvt Ltd on the basis of bogus and forged documents. “The materials installed in the hospitals were found to be of inferior and sub-standard quality thereby causing an approximate loss of Rs 5.46 crore to the exchequer,” the CBI alleged. The agency also claimed to have recovered 3 kg of gold and cash of Rs 1.11 crore besides some important documents during search operations at Jain’s residence on Wednesday. ‘Raid on Kushwaha home a conspiracy’ BJP state president Surya Pratap Shahi said on Thursday the CBI raids at the residence of former family welfare minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, who joined the BJP on Tuesday, were a joint conspiracy of Congress, BSP and SP to suppress the voices of an OBC leader. In another statement, party national secretary Kirit Somaiya accused the Congress of misusing the documents he had given to CBI in connection with Mayawati government’s various scams and bogus companies owned by Mayawati’ friends and family.

NRHM scam: CBI raids ex-BSP minister Kushwaha

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the residence of former family welfare minister of Uttar Pradesh Babu Singh Kushwaha in connection with the financial irregularities in the supply of medicines and medical equipment in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam on Wednesday.

Kushwaha, a former BSP MLA had joined the BJP on Tuesday.

The CBI also raided the premises of some officials and contractors in connection with the NRHM scam. The raids were being conducted at 60 places in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Earlier on Tuesday, the CBI had filed FIRs pertaining to the scam. Kushwaha has been named as an accused in one of the five FIRs registered against the NRHM officials and private companies in Uttar Pradesh.

The charges against Kushwaha include those of criminal misconduct and misuse of office in implementing the NRHM scheme as the family welfare minister.

Sources say that an embarrassed BJP is now unlikely to give him a poll ticket. The BJP CEC will meet on Wednesday to finalise 100 tickets in Uttar Pradesh. A section within the BJP had been upset over his induction into the party. The party now says it won't support any corrupt leader.

Babu Singh Kushwaha was a confidante of UP Chief Minister Mayawati. He enjoys clout amongst the Kushwaha community that adds to almost four per cent votes in UP.

He was in-charge of managing the BSP affairs and therefore, could be of crucial importance to the BSP's competitors.

Mayawati is known to have said that in case she was jailed, Kushwaha could be the acting Chief Minister.

The National Rural Health Scheme is a plan to make changes in the healthcare system. The NRHM plan includes hiking public expenditure on health.

Irregularities were reported in the NRHM fund disbursed to Uttar Pradesh in 2011. In November 2011, the Allahabad High Court directed the CBI to conduct an inquiry into the misuse of the NRHM funds in UP.

The CBI has been probing irregularities in funds disbursed to 72 CMOs across UP. The CBI formed a special probe team to investigate the NRHM scam.

NRHM scam: CBI raids at more than 60 places

CBI on Wednesday conducted searches at 60 places, including at the residence of former U.P. Family Welfare Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, to probe alleged irregularities in the Rs. 10,000 crore funds allocated under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

The CBI carried out searches after registering five cases on January two in which Mr. Kushwaha has been named in one of the cases, official sources said.

The searches began this morning at 60 places including at the residence of the former minister in Lucknow. Mr. Kushwaha had joined BJP on Tuesday after being sacked by U.P. Chief Minister Mayawati. Some places in the national capital were also being searched, the sources said.

The NRHM funds to the tune of about Rs. 10,000 crore were allocated to Uttar Pradesh for the period 2005-06 till date by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

The funds have been spent through Chief Medical Officers of 72 districts in U.P. and other nodal offices all over the State like family welfare, medical health and training under various schemes.

A number of these works have been executed through several State public sector undertaking and a large number of contractors and firms.

The Allahabad High Court had on December 15 last year directed the CBI to conduct preliminary enquiry into the matter of execution and implementation of the NRHM scheme and utilization of funds at various levels.

The CBI has been asked to complete the inquiry in four months by the court.