NEW DELHI: The AAP-led Delhi government has leveled fresh allegations against Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, accusing him of involvement in a ‘hospital scam’.Vigilance Minister Atishi on Friday submitted her supplementary report to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that Kumar used his position to enable a “lucrative collaboration” between the Delhi government-run Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) and a company in which his son was a partner.
ILBS has denied that any payment was made to any vendor in this regard. “The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by ILBS on 24.01.2023 for a period of six months for research work, which expired on July 23, 2023. This MoU was a research collaboration with zero expenditure to ILBS,” it said.As per the report submitted by Atishi to Arvind Kejriwal on Friday, MetaMix, a company linked to Kumar’s son, was allegedly awarded a contract to develop AI software for ILBS without a tender process.
The company, which was reportedly formed only eight months prior to the deal and is said to lack experience in creating AI software, is accused of making profits worth hundreds of crores from the project.
The report highlights that proper procedures were not followed in selecting MetaMix for the project, raising concerns over the direct selection and signing of the agreement.
In light of these allegations, Atishi has called for Kumar’s immediate removal from his post and for disciplinary action to be taken against him.She has further recommended that the agreement between MetaMix and ILBS be terminated and the case be referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a thorough investigation.
Atishi’s fresh report comes after previous accusations of a Rs 850 crore land compensation scam linked to the Dwarka Expressway project.As chief secretary, Kumar also served as chairman of the ILBS governing council which, in a meeting on December 6, 2022, decided to set up a virtual or augmented reality laboratory at the institute.The laboratory, meant for conducting research on simulation of various endoscopy procedures using augmented reality, was launched by Kumar on January 14.
Chief Secretary serves as chairman of ILBS
As chief secretary, Kumar also served as chairman of the ILBS governing council which decided to set up a virtual or augmented reality laboratory at the institute. The laboratory, meant for conducting research on simulation of various endoscopy procedures using augmented reality, was launched by Kumar on January 14.