NHM 'fraud' widens: 3 more woman 'delivered 53 babies, sterilised 9 times'

Agra: The National Health Mission (NHM) "fraud" case has widened in UP's Agra district with names of three more women -- reportedly found to have "delivered 53 babies and underwent nine sterilisations between 2021 and 2023" -- emerging in "records" of Fatehabad community health centre.

In the latest revelations on Friday, as per the fraudulent documents, the names of Sunita Singh (55), Machhla Devi (43) and Rajkumari (44) -- all from the same district -- were "misused by health staffers and an agent to embezzle govt funds worth over Rs 90,000".

It comes a day after TOI reported that fraudulent claims of Rs 45,000 -- under govt's NHM-run schemes ‘Janani Suraksha Yojana' and ‘Mahila Sterilisation Incentive' -- were transferred to a bank account opened using fake documents in the name of a woman called Krishna Kumari.

On paper, the 35-year-old reportedly "delivered 25 babies and underwent sterilisation five times within 30 months between 2021 and 2023". Incidentally, she had given birth to a child at Fatehabad CHC in 2017 and knows nothing about the money. Her name was purportedly used by the employees to illegally draw govt benefits.

Agra chief medical officer Arun Kumar Shrivastava said, "Audit reports of CHC Fatehabad and Shamshabad are currently under scrutiny. Medical superintendents of other CHCs have also been directed to examine their audit reports. In these three latest cases, I'm personally probing the embezzlement matter. I'll ensure that all men involved in the scam face stringent punishment." Three people, including contractual staffers, were earlier arrested and the network is expected to be much wider, said a health official.

The CMO said, "In one of the latest cases, Sunita Singh, 55, who had undergone sterilisation 22 years ago finds her name on the ‘list'. She belongs to Nagla Kadam under Fatehabad sub division, and as per the papers she ‘delivered 18 babies and underwent three sterilization procedures'."

A medical team visited the village and found that Sunita -- married 36 years ago -- has two sons and a daughter, all of whom are also married. After giving birth to her youngest son (now 22), she decided to undergo sterilisation. "She was shocked to know of it and told the team that she has not received any govt fund. Others also expressed ignorance and said that an agent had opened bank accounts for them," said a health official, privy to the matter.

The official added Rajkumari from Rasulpur had "17 deliveries and three sterilisations" against her name, and Sunita and the former "received Rs 31,000 and Rs 29,800 respectively."

According to the probe, Ashok Kumar, a local agent, in collusion with health employees had opened bank accounts for these women and then allegedly swindled the "funds" with others.

Fatehabad SHO DP Tiwari said a case was registered under BNS sections 318-4 (cheating and dishonesty), 338 (forgery of valuable securities, wills and other important documents), 336 (forgery, encompassing creation or alteration of documents or electronic records with fraudulent intent) against all the accused.