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| Bhanu Pratap Sahi |
Sahib surrendered in CBI court of Nityanand Singh and he was sent to 14 days judicial custody. Sahib appealed for medical treatment complaining chest pain. The court asked the jail authorities to take necessary steps for medical checkup of Sahib.
The CBI court had passed order to attach properties of Sahi and ex health secretary Dr Prodded Kumar. Another ex health secretary Sahara Prasad was arrested by the CBI in May this year in the NRHM scam. All are accused in the Rs 130 crores NHRM scam.
According to CBI sources, the NHRM scam worth of Rs 130 crores took place in 2008-2009. There are allegations against ex health minister and ex health secretaries that they purchased medicines, vehicles, medical equipment from 19 private firms at higher rates causing huge financial loss to the state exchequer.
Both Sahib and Praveen Kumar were evading arrest for many months. Praveen Kumar was suspended in 2009 when the CBI had raided his house in NRHM scam. There are speculation that Praveen Kumar will follow Sahib to avoid attachment of properties.
Investigating a major irregularity in a flagship programme of the UPA government for providing free healthcare services, the CBI on Monday searched 14 premises of a former health secretary and a senior health officer of Jharkhand and three others, who are being probed for allegedly siphoning off more than Rs 130 crore under the health schemes.
CBI officials alleged that former health secretary Dr Pradeep Kumar, a 1991-batch IAS officer, and Dr Vijay Shankar Narain Singh, the state Reproductive Child Health Officer, fraudulently purchased medicines, medical equipment/appliances and other items used in hospitals from 19 suppliers without assessing the actual requirement and without observing the rules laid down for it.
According to the CBI, the purchases were worth more than Rs 130 crore and the amount squandered was out of the fund allotted under the National Rural Health Mission. "The accused persons bought those medicines and equipments which were of no use," said CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal.
The CBI officers raided 14 places in Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Daltonganj and New Delhi, from where files and documents related to deals were recovered.
"The Kanke Road (in Ranchi) official residence of Kumar was raided when he was not present there. The list of seizures has not been made as search operation was still on," CBI SP R C Choudhary told The Indian Express.
The raids followed an inquiry ordered by Governor K Sankarnarayanan into alleged irregularities in the purchase of medicines and other healthcare commodities. The CBI probe was ordered on the basis of the findings of an inquiry by the state health department.
The inquiry by the Director (NRHM) Nitin Madan Kulkarni and Health Secretary Dr Shivendu found that the state Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) wing made the purchases without following the rules during 2008-09 when Kumar was the health secretary
SOURCE: Times Of India
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