Jaipur, August 23: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has submitted a supplementary chargesheet of nearly 5,000 pages in the alleged National Health Mission tender scam from 2016 to ACB Court-1.
This chargesheet names five individuals as accused, including Neeraj K. Pawan, the then Director of the National Health Mission and an IAS officer.
Immediately after the chargesheet was filed, Sunil Rathore, a long-absconding accused, surrendered to the court. ACB’s special public prosecutor, B.S. Chauhan, stated that the investigation against another accused, Surendra Singh, is still ongoing.
The case is linked to alleged irregularities in the Arogya Rath scheme, initiated for promoting health department programs.
According to the investigation, the Arogya Raths claimed to be operational in 2016 were mostly fictitious, existing only on paper. Allegations suggest that fake documents were used to receive payments.
The amount involved in the alleged scam is reported to exceed 1 crore rupees.
At the time of the incident, Neeraj K. Pawan was the Director of the National Health Mission. In 2021, the court granted permission to prosecute him. The ACB conducted raids at 18 locations, including the homes and offices of senior officials, in May 2016.
Those accused in the case include Neeraj K. Pawan, accountant Joji Varghese, assistant accounts officer Deepa Gupta, and alleged middlemen Ajit Soni and Sunil Rathore.
The investigation claims that the main contract for the Arogya Rath project was awarded to Surendra Singh’s company, Surendra Electrotech. Investigative agencies allege that payments were made based on forged documents, and a 17% commission was charged from contractor companies.
According to allegations, a 5% bribe was taken to secure tenders, and 12% was charged for passing bills.
The ACB’s supplementary chargesheet is now before the court, while the investigation into Surendra Singh’s role continues.
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