Fake Ayushman Bharat ID cards case: ED raids 19 places among Himachal MLA and close aide of state’s CM

New Delhi [India], July 31 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted raids at 19 locations, including the premises of Himachal Pradesh Congress MLA RS Bali and an alleged close associate of the state’s Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, in a case linked to the generation of alleged fake Ayushman Bharat ID cards and violations of the scheme against many hospitals, officials said.

The agency is conducting the searches in Himachal Pradesh’s five districts, including Kangra, Una, Shimla, Mandi, and Kullu.

The agency raided the premises of Bali, a congress MLA from Nagrota in Himachal Pradesh, Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), and the Vice Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board; and Rajesh Sharma of Shree Balaji Hospital in Kangra (a close associate of the present Himachal Pradesh CM), as their names figured in the fraud, said the officials.

The raid is part of a case related to the generation of alleged fake Ayushman Bharat AB-PMJAY cards.

In addition to the generation of alleged fake ID cards, the officials said, the scheme has been violated by several hospitals, including allegedly by some top hospitals. Many medical bills have been generated on such fake cards, causing losses to the exchequer and the public.