NRHM scam: CBI likely to file 50 more FIRs

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing irregularities in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scheme in Uttar Pradesh, is likely to register as many as 50 more cases.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing irregularities in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scheme in Uttar Pradesh, is likely to register as many as 50 more cases.

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It will help the investigating agency track ‘beneficiaries’ who allegedly siphoned off funds from the office of chief medical officers (CMO) in 72 districts.

The number of cases to be filed by the CBI will spiral as it will examine cases on district-to-district basis, said a CBI official. The CBI has already registered 14 cases in this regard.

The probe will now focus on the alleged misuse of funds allocated to CMOs under the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY). A sub-scheme of the NRHM, it integrates cash assistance with delivery and post-delivery care. It aims at reducing maternal and neo-natal mortality among poor pregnant women.

The CBI suspects that the JSY funds were allegedly siphoned off and pocketed by ineligible beneficiaries, said the official. “The agency has begun probe and will gather district-wise data from 2005 to 2008,” said the official.