CBI raids homes of 3 bureaucrats in NRHM case

The CBI on Thursday raided 44 places including the residences of senior bureaucrats in UP and Delhi as part of its investigation into the Rs 10,000 crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam. Rajesh Kumar Singh reports. Under scanner

The CBI on Thursday raided 44 places including the residences of senior bureaucrats in UP and Delhi as part of its investigation into the Rs 10,000 crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam.

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The residence of Pradeep Shukla, currently member, board of revenue, and formerly principal secretary (health and family welfare), was searched.

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The raids were in Lucknow, Moradabad, Varanasi, Muzaffarnagar, Kanpur, Noida and Delhi.

Apart from Shukla, the residences of UP Processing and Construction Cooperative Federation Ltd managing director VK Chaudhary and former UP Project Corporation Ltd managing director Devendra Mohan were also raided.

Sources said the CBI sleuths seized documents related to the scam from the residence of Shukla, Chaudhary and Mohan.

Documents regarding the investment of NRHM funds in real estate and other ventures were also seized. A CBI officer said, "The bank accounts and lockers of the officers are being scanned. After grilling the officers we will take them into custody."

In 2005 the state first received funds under the NRHM. Subsequently the health department was bifurcated into family welfare and health in May 2010 to run the NRHM better.

And by then the annual central grant to the state under the NRHM had also increased from a mere Rs 500 crore to Rs 3,150 crore.