Health dept raising money

The Punjab health department is raising money for the Fateh Rally of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi coming up at Jagraon on Sunday.

The civil surgeons, senior medical officers (SMO) and drug inspectors all are in the fundraising campaign. Each district team has the bottom target of collecting `2.5 lakh. Informed sources said collections from drug inspectors was to be counted separate.

An official in the health department said that the orders had come from health minister Surjeet Kumar Jyani. Each government doctor has been asked to contribute `5,000 to `10,000. “The order comes from the top,” said an SMO-level officer

Chief parliamentary secretary (health) Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu said: “If it is happening, it’s very shameful. It is shocking to me. I think our minister to be honest. If this is true, we are encouraging corruption.

“We are not asking the health department to make any contribution. Our party has sufficient funds,” health minister Jyani replied over telephone.

First Published: Feb 22, 2014 15:43 IST