CMOs of 25 UP dists face CBI heat

The CBI is set to register cases against the chief medical officers of 25 districts in Uttar Pradesh on charges of embezzlement of funds allocated under various schemes of the National Rural Health Mission between 2009 and 2011

The CBI is set to register cases against the chief medical officers CMOs of 25 districts in Uttar Pradesh on charges of embezzlement of funds allocated under various schemes of the National Rural Health Mission NRHM between 2009 and 2011.

The CBI has reportedly found documents related to the utilisation of funds under various schemes missing from the offices of CMOs concerned while the bank accounts showed withdrawal of the funds allocated from the offices of the director generals of family welfare and medical amp; health and State Health Society based at Lucknow.

Sources said each CMOs office in the state was allocated Rs 15-30 crore for one financial year under various NRHM schemes,on the basis of the population and number of the health centres in the districts.

The CBI had earlier registered five preliminary enquiries PEs following the direction of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on November 15 last year. One of the PEs was connected to the misuse of funds allocated to CMO offices in 72 districts of UP under various NRHM schemes.

The schemes included Janani Suraksha Yojna and District Blindness Control Programme,maintenance of community and primary health centres,and replacement of electrical and electronic goods in those centres.

Besides,funds were also allocated to the CMOs for hiring of vehicles for vaccination and medical help in remote villages,purchase of fuel and for salaries of the medical and paramedical staff attached on contract basis to the health centres.

A CBI official said the agency had first launched a probe into the irregularities at the offices of CMOs of 25 districts. All of them were sent notices in November to provide files related to the schemes for which they were allocated the funds. However,none of the offices could submit the complete documents.

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These districts fall in Varanasi,Mirzapur,Azamgarh,Allahabad,Gorakhpur,Devipatan Gonda and Basti ranges,the official added. The CBI teams searched the CMO offices,but they found the documents missing.