PATNA: A massive fraud involving siphoning of government funds under the National Health Mission has been detected in villages of Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district.
In one case, a village woman aged 66 years is shown to have delivered eight babies in a span of 18 months!
Names of at least 50 elderly women — all “beneficiaries” of National Maternity Benefits Scheme — were used to receive Rs 1,400 per month since last year.
The money thus received was withdrawn from their bank accounts the next day of the receipt without the knowledge of the women covered by the Community Health Centre in Mushahari block.
Sample this: Shanti Devi’s youngest son is more than 20 years old, but the health department continued crediting Rs 1,400 into her account under the National Health Mission for giving birth to a child in a hospital from 2019 — six times within 13 months.
She gets old age pension and has not been pregnant in the last 20 years. “It indicates the racketeers not only knew the bank accounts but they also managed to hoodwink the entire system to loot the government funds.
Since the community service point (CSP) of a nationalized bank of Mushahari block was used, the collusion of local officials should be probed,” said a senior government official.
The district police said CSP operator Sushil Kumar is absconding. Muzaffarpur District Magistrate Chandrasekhar Singh has ordered a probe by a four-member team of district officials, led by ADM Rajesh Kumar.
“The committee will submit its report in the next two days along with details of payments made under the scheme in the last one year,” said a government spokesperson.
Muzaffarpur SSP Jaykant said an FIR would be lodged after a written complaint is lodged by the officials. Meanwhile, state Health Minister Mangal Pandey has asked executive director of State Health Society Manoj Kumar to look into the matter.