Himachal Congress leaders & CM’s close aides Bali, Dr Rajesh face heat as ED raids private hospitals in Kangra, Una
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In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted early morning raids on private hospitals in the Una and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday (July 31, 2024).
The operation is learnt to be aimed at investigating alleged financial irregularities, particularly related to the misuse of the Ayushman Bharat— Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme.
Among the hospitals raided was Shri Bankey Bihari Hospital in Una, which has been under investigation since an FIR was lodged on January 23, 2023. The FIR accused the hospital of generating fake Ayushman cards to fraudulently claim subsidies under the AB-PMJAY scheme. This scheme provides free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh in private and government hospitals nationwide.
The FIR, registered by the State Vigilance & Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV & ACB) in Una, invoked sections 420, 467, 468, and 471 of the IPC against Kiran Soni, an employee of Shri Bankey Bihari Hospital, and others.
It was alleged that 69 out of 275 beneficiaries who received free treatment had fake Ayushman cards. Subsequently, an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was recorded on July 16, 2024, to investigate the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The PMLA investigation revealed that apart from Shri Bankey Bihari Hospital, other hospitals such as Fortis Hospital, Shri Balaji Hospital, Sood Nursing Home and Sri Harihar Hospital also allegedly availed illegal benefits from the AB-PMJAY scheme.
Investigators identified 373 fake Ayushman cards, leading to claims totalling approximately Rs 40.68 lakh. Among the fake beneficiaries were Rajnish Kumar and Pooja Dhiman, who denied possessing or knowing about any PMJAY cards and confirmed they never underwent any such treatments. Further investigation showed hospitals claiming for treatments, surgeries and admissions that never occurred.
The investigation led to the de-empanelment of these hospitals from the Ayushman Bharat scheme due to illegal practices and non-compliance with guidelines. So far, 8,937 Ayushman Bharat golden cards have been scrapped in Himachal Pradesh for violations of the AB-PMJAY scheme. The case involves proceeds of crime amounting to approximately Rs 25 crore.
Among those under scrutiny are close aides of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. RS Bali, a Congress MLA from Nagrota and chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, is linked to Fortis Hospital, Kangra, which was also de-empanelled.
Additionally, Dr Rajesh Sharma, associated with Shree Balaji Hospital in Kangra and a close associate of CM Sukhu, was involved in the recent Assembly byelection from Dehra. Dr Sharma, who is Himachal Congress treasurer, withdrew his candidacy in favour of the CM’s wife, Kamlesh Thakur, and his hospital is also allegedly implicated in the AB-PMJAY fraud.
