More family welfare officers on CBI radar
Sleuths from the Central Bureau of Investigation have planned to grill former directorate general, family welfare RR Bharti and CB Prasad in the national rural health mission scam.
Sleuths from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have planned to grill former directorate general (DG), family welfare RR Bharti and CB Prasad in the national rural health mission (NRHM) scam.
Officers of the Uttar Pradesh Press Cooperative Federation (UPPCF) and contractors would also be grilled. Sources said that officers posted in the chief minister's secretariat during the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government are also under the CBI's radar. Three senior IAS officers who handled the matters associated with NRHM might also be called for interrogation.
During interrogation the administrative officers and medical officers, posted in the health and family welfare department during 2009-12, told CBI detectives that NRHM files were sent to the chief minister's secretariat for approval of the contract and posting of medical officers.
IAS officers played a pivotal role in the finalisation of the contract associated with the supply of medicine and construction of the hospitals.
The CBI has also planned to grill BSP MLC, Ramchandra Pradhan for his involvement in the scam. Pradhan was the chairman of the UPPCF and on his direction the printing contract was given to a Rudrapur based firm. On Thursday CBI registered four FIRs and conducted raids at seven places including Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Rudrapur (Uttarakhand) and Vapi (Gujarat).
The CBI officer said that the case has been registered on the allegation that during 2010, officials of the UPPCF entered into a criminal conspiracy with the Rudrapur based private firm for printing of mother and child safety cards under the NRHM scheme. Printing work worth Rs. 2.64 crore was awarded to the private firm at an exorbitant rate, without following the tender formalities.
The specification of the work was circulated to only the accused private firm and its two sister concerns that submitted tenders. The process of inviting tenders was initiated by the officials of UPPCF even before the work was officially allotted to them and the funds were released to the DG, family welfare by the health and family welfare department.