LUCKNOW: After a woman from Agra district was discovered to have "delivered 25 times and undergone sterilisation five times between 2021 and 2023" during a recent financial audit of the National Health Mission's (NHM) Janani Suraksha Yojna, a similar scam involving three more women to claim benefits guaranteed under the scheme has come to the fore.
Of the three women claimants, who belong to two different villages of Fatehabad in Agra district, one is 55 years old and had undergone sterilization 22 years ago.
Three persons have been arrested in connection with the fraudulent transactions so far. The alleged scam revolves around the National Health Mission's 'Janani Suraksha Yojana' and 'Mahila Sterilisation Incentive Scheme'. These schemes usually offer financial aid to women -- Rs 1,400 for rural delivery, Rs 1,000 for urban delivery and Rs 2,000 for a sterilisation procedure.
The financial audit records of the health department reflected that Sunita and Machhla Devi of Nagla Kadam village under Fatehabad had delivered 18 times while undergoing sterilization procedure thrice during 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. Similarly, Rajkumari of Rasoolpur village was shown delivering 17 times and getting sterilized thrice.
Consequently, Sunita and Machhla Devi received Rs 31,000 each and Rajkumari got Rs 29,800 in their bank accounts as government dole.
After the stark reality of the swindling of funds in the name of Janani Suraksha Yojna came to light, a team entrusted with carrying out an internal inquiry into the irregularities visited the villages only to find that Sunita of Nagla Kadam is 55 and married for 36 years. She has two sons and a daughter, all married. Sunita’s youngest son is 22. Likewise, Machhla Devi of the same village is also married for 22 years. She has three sons and a daughter. Machhla Devi had undergone sterilization around 15 years ago.
However, Rajkumari of Rasoolpur village feigned ignorance about the records showing 17 deliveries and three sterilization procedures mentioned in her name.
As per the superintendent of Fatehabad Community Health Centre (CHC) Dr Pramod Kushwaha, an investigation of the records is on. He said the beneficiaries were also grilled in connection with the money they received. He said that all the three beneficiaries, who received the doles on the basis of implausible figures, put the blame on a man named Ashok of Nagla Kadam village for getting their bank accounts opened. Ashok is believed to run a ‘Sahaiyata Samooh’ (self help group) of women.
Ashok is accused of drawing benefits of the NHM scheme by getting the accounts of women of the self-help group opened, receiving the monetary benefits of the scheme in those accounts and withdrawing the money himself. Sometimes, he used to share a paltry sum of Rs 300-400 with the women so that they did not question him.
Significantly, all the beneficiaries know nothing about the money being purportedly received in their accounts fraudulently by Ashok. In fact, the records and data related to Janani Surakhsha Yojna and cases of sterilization are uploaded on the portal by a data entry operator under the supervision of the block programme manager. The emoluments are then transferred to the accounts of beneficiaries by the block accounts manager.
Earlier on Thursday, an incident had come to light wherein fraudulent claims of Rs 45,000 -- under the government's National Health Mission-run scheme Janani Surakhsha Yojna – came to light and the amount was transferred to a bank account opened using fake documents in the name of a woman called Krishna Kumari. The woman herself is a 35-year-old who gave birth to a child at the Fatehabad CHC in 2017 and knows nothing about the money. Her name was purportedly misused by employees as part of the scam.
As per sources, following the revelations, an internal probe was launched in the health department and a complaint was filed against five persons -- four health department employees and Ashok, the agent of the self-help group from Nagla Kadam village -- at Fatehabad police station.
Ashok allegedly first opened Krishna's bank account and then withdrew government doles from it.
Chief medical officer Dr Arun Srivastava confirmed to media persons that of the five accused, four were on contract and were posted at Fatehabad CHC while the fifth was an outsider. “A thorough probe is on and efforts are being made to find out whether there were more such cases," said Dr Srivastava.
However, officials believe that such fraudulent claims could not have taken place without the collusion of others in the health department. “The involvement of more administrative staff, nurses and even doctors cannot be ruled out,” said a senior official.
Police said Gaurav Thapa (block programme manager), Neeraj Awasthi (block accounting manager), Gautam Singh (data entry operator), and Azhar Ahmed (data entry operator at another CHC) were named in the FIR along with Ashok Kumar, the agent. Ashok was picked up by local cops. He led the health department team to the Fatehabad CHC, which resulted in the arrests of Neeraj and Gaurav.
A case was registered under BNS sections 318-4 (cheating and dishonesty), 338 (forgery of valuable securities, wills and other important documents), 336 (forgery, encompassing creation or alteration of documents or electronic records with fraudulent intent) against all the accused, added SHO of Fatehabad DP Tiwari.