New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is raiding 21 places in Jharkhand in relation to a scam over the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. Allegations include the submission of payment claims without providing treatment, leading to payment suspension. The ED is currently investigating the case under the Money Laundering Act. The ED is investigating up to 212 hospitals, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies. It has come to light that payments were made to patients for treatment without admitting them to the hospitals, and payments of over ₹40 crore remain outstanding.
Raids are also being conducted in other states, such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Delhi. Sources report that ED teams arrived early in the morning, sealed the premises, and deployed heavy security personnel. Jharkhand and three other states simultaneously carried out raids. It has been discovered that money disbursed to hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana was being used on a large scale in a corrupt manner.
Enquiries showed that the central government had sent money to some hospitals on the pretext of treating patients when they did not admit them. Over 750 hospitals enrolled in the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Jharkhand have been suspected of fraud. There have been a few shocking discoveries made during the investigation, though ED officials have not yet given an official account of the case.
The Ayushman Bharat scheme, initiated by the Government of India, is the world’s largest government-sponsored healthcare scheme. It is specifically designed to deliver free and quality healthcare services to financially weaker sections of society, providing free health insurance of up to ₹5 lakh per family every year.
Apart from Jharkhand, the ED is also carrying out raids in Kerala and Tamil Nadu on sites linked with the Gokulam Gopalan chit fund firm. Gokulam Gopalan is also one of the creators of the movie “Empuran.” The ED also conducted raids in Karnataka targeting the Bhovi Development Corporation office premises in relation to a ₹90 crore money laundering racket and raided 10 sites.