HYDERABAD: In the wake of reports of siphoning off funds from the Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF), the state government has brought in a few changes in issuing cheques to the beneficiaries.
The government is now printing the account number of the beneficiaries along with their names.
Recently, during the transition of power from Congress to BRS, it was found that some miscreants used the names of CMRF applicants and opened bank accounts to wrongfully claim the funds.
In March, a case was registered against the temporary staff of the then Health Minister’s office for allegedly misusing CMRF cheques.
The accused encashed the cheques for Rs 87,500 from a nationalised bank branch located in Jubilee Hills. To avoid any such possibilities, the government has started collecting the bank details of the applicants and issuing the cheques to be credited only into the designated account.
The CMRF is for extending financial assistance to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) people who have health problems, which require expensive medicare, loss of life of kin, loss of properties and sources of livelihood due to unforeseen incidents such as natural calamities, road accidents, fire accidents and so on.
Additionally, CMRF provides a mechanism for BPL members to obtain Letters of Credit (LOC) for treatment at specific hospitals, such as NIMS, MNJ Cancer Hospital, and government ENT Hospital.