Sukhu govt booked Una hospital for Ayushman fraud, ED included facilities of CM’s close aides in FIR
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted early morning raids on private hospitals in Una, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday (July 31, 2024), the central agency’s action coming on an FIR filed by the State Vigilance & Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV& ACB) at the Dharamshala police station on January 23, 2023.
Among others, the operation, aimed at investigating alleged financial irregularities related to the misuse of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme, has targeted Congress leaders RS Bali, who is the Nagrota MLA, and Dr Rajesh Sharma, who unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Assembly poll from Dehra.
Close associates of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Bali and Dr Rajesh are associated with Kangra’s Fortis Hospital and Shree Balaji Hospital, respectively.
The original FIR had invoked sections 420, 467, 468, and 471 of the IPC against Kiran Soni, an employee of Shri Bankey Bihari Hospital, Una, and others. It was alleged that 69 of the 275 beneficiaries who received free treatment at the hospital had fake Ayushman cards.
The FIR accused the hospital of generating fake Ayushman cards to fraudulently claim subsidies under the AB-PMJAY scheme. The scheme provides free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh in private and government hospitals nationwide.
Based on the FIR, the ED lodged an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) on July 16, 2024, to investigate the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The PMLA investigation revealed that apart from Shri Bankey Bihari Hospital, other hospitals such as Fortis Hospital, Shree 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.
