E-Paper
CMO writes to NHM director for probe into unaccounted expenses
The chief medical officer (CMO) has written to the National health mission (NHM) director demanding probe on unaccounted expenditure of Rs 4.5 lakh by the accounts section of his office.
The chief medical officer (CMO) has written to the National health mission (NHM) director demanding probe on unaccounted expenditure of Rs 4.5 lakh by the accounts section of his office.
The action came after the former district account head of NHM failed to produce a record of the expenditure.
Sources said that enough time was given to former account head Sanjeev Kumar to respond and give records about the expenditure but he failed to do so.
The office of CMO Dr Rajiv Bhalla had also written to Kumar on October 7 and also given several telephonic reminders in this regard.
In the letter to the MD, CMO Bhalla has requested for a probe by higher authorities in this entire episode as the expenditure occurred much before he joined.
When contacted, NHM MD Hussan Lal told HT that they have written to the vigilance bureau (VB) and sought a status report about the probe initiated on alleged financial irregularities in purchases by the Jalandhar civil surgeon’s office.
Bhalla had asked for explanation of records pertaining to these expenditures, which the former accounts head failed to do, following which, Bhalla wrote to NHM MD demanding suitable action.
The expenses stated in the copy are Rs 95,834 for NHM, Rs 71,209 expenses for immunisation’s office, Rs 1,76,674 for intensified diarrhoea control fortnight (IDCF),Rs 40,960 for computer consumable and Rs 1,67,559 for National Vector Borne Disease (NVBD). Kumar was the account officer and many bills were cleared by him.
A vigilance probe is also on since February this year. The vigilance sleuths have failed to complete the probe within a mandatory period of three months. The probing officer is on ex-India leave. The Jalandhar VB had questioned former civil surgeon Dr RL Bassan on March 22. It also recorded statements of nine members who were part of the then purchasing committees including, former district health officer, purchase clerk Raj Pal, Sanjeev Kumar, and others.
The probe was shifted to Hoshiarpur VB in the wake of representations made to department’s higher officials in Chandigarh in May.
The matter
The office of CMO had sought records pertaining to these expenditures, which the former accounts head failed to do, following which, the CMO wrote to NHM MD demanding suitable action. The expenses stated in the copy are Rs 95,834 for NHM, Rs 71,209 expenses for immunisation’s office, Rs 1,76,674 for intensified diarrhoea control fortnight (IDCF),Rs 40,960 for computer consumable and Rs 1,67,559 for National Vector Borne Disease (NVBD). Kumar was the account officer and many bills were cleared by him.When contacted, NHM MD Hussan Lal told HT that they have written to the vigilance bureau (VB) and sought a status report about the probe initiated on alleged financial irregularities in purchases by the Jalandhar civil surgeon’s office.
