NRHM funds worth Rs 50 Lakh swindled in Budgam

Politicians at work to protect CMO, MS, others involved

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 8: Government functionaries in the state have been burning midnight oil to mislead Indian Association of Parliamentarians for Population and Development (IAPPD) about the poor performance observed in implementation of Government of India’s flagship programme in the heath sector called National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The visiting delegation, that attended meetings with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and other top government functionaries, has been kept in dark with regard to large scale bunglings happening in several districts, particularly Budgam. If well placed sources in the government are to be believed, NRHM funds worth Rs 50 Lakh have been swindled in Budgam in the last one year alone.

Sources revealed to Early Times that total volume of the NRHM funds embezzled and misappropriated in Budgam district alone in the last five years was estimated around Rs 3 Crore. Though misappropriations in the flagship health programme have been observed in many other districts, peculiarity in the case of Budgam is that the officials have chosen Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather’s home district for the biggest embezzlement. Sources said that senior officials of Department of Health, including the whistleblower Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Nazir Ahmed Qanoongo, and Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Abdullah, are under the clouds.

According to these sources, one of the class 4^th employees of Aga Syed Yousuf Memorial District Hospital, Nursing Orderly Muddasar, has withdrawn a huge amount of Rs 17 Lakh from the officials accounts in league with other officials. Following a complaint from the Medical Superintending, Police arrested the accused who has reportedly admitted to have drawn the money and shared it fraudulently with other officials of the department. Efforts are still underway to hush up the matter, though Minister of Health, Sham Lal, is understood to have learned about the embezzlement.

While the Minister was not accessible for comment on telephone, bureaucratic sources said that Mr Sham Lal had taken “very serious notice” of the NRHM embezzlement. They said that a number of officials, including CMO Budgam, Dr Abdullah, who happens to be custodian of all NRHM funds, Medical Superintendent, Dr Nazir Ahmed Qanoongo, and clerks staying in CMO’s office without change for 15 to 20 years, are being removed and placed under suspension. According to these sources, Dy CMO Dr Qayoom Khan was being temporarily appointed as incharge CMO till the formal appointment of a new incumbent, most likely MS of District Hospital Handwara, Dr Aleem. They said that BMO Budgam, Dr Nehvi, was likely to be appointed as incharge MS at DH Budgam.

Sources said that in view of large scale embezzlement of the NRHM funds, a special audit was likely to be ordered by Commissioner-Secretary Finance, Sudhanshu Pandey. The embezzlement in almost all components of NRHM has surfaced after it was noticed that the money reserved for pregnant women under Janani Surakhsha Yojana (JSY), as also funds drawn for disbursement among mothers, had not reached the concerned. It has been observed that fake entries have been made in the official records and in most of the cases the beneficiaries have either remained untraced or have complained that they had received no money.

It has been observed that the funds earmarked for promoting awareness of the programme in rural areas has been either embezzled or spent on hospitality and “refreshment” of the employees. There are flawed records of institutional delivery and the beneficiaries have been either denied the benefits categorically or made shuttle between different PHCs, District Hospital and Lal Ded Hospital in Srinagar. Most of the delivery cases have been found to have been referred to LD Hospital, contrary to instructions from senior officials.

Sources revealed that a number of officials, including CMO and MS, have immediately sought services of their political godfathers to escape disciplinary action and reshuffle. Some of them are understood to have reached Jammu. One of the Cabinet Ministers, belonging to Congress party and hailing from the Valley, is said to have assured these officials that he would prevail upon the Minister of Health and prevent action against them. 

Sources said that role of the MS of DH Budgam was under investigation in view of his advantage that he had lodged the complaint with Police and sought a detailed investigation into the NRHM misappropriations. There was still a strong point of indiscipline against him as 46 officials of his hospital were found absent by additional Commissioner of Kashmir when he conducted a surprise inspection last week.

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