Fake Ayushman Bharat ID case: “Issue of corruption very serious,” says Himachal Congress MLA days after ED raids

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 2 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Congress MLA RS Bali said on Friday that the issue of alleged corruption involving the generation of fake Ayushman Bharat ID cards and violations of the scheme by many hospitals is very serious.

Following the ED raids at various locations in Kangra district on Wednesday, RS Bali provided detailed information about the raids at his residence and hospital during a press conference in Dharamshala today.

Bali stated, “If corruption has occurred under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, then it is a very serious matter. Public money is involved in the Ayushman Bharat scheme, and if hospitals have committed fraud, then the investigating agencies must do their job. If this fraud has happened, it is a serious matter, and it has been found in some places.

I think the work that the investigating agencies are doing on this fraud is very important.”

Bali added that, like a common man, they keep a nominal amount of cash at home for household expenses and even purchase animal feed through cheque payments.

He mentioned that he cooperated with the investigating agencies as a citizen of India.

“Being a citizen of India, my first responsibility was to cooperate with the investigating agencies, and I did that,” Bali said, denying any political interference in the matter.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on Wednesday at 19 locations, including the premises of Himachal Pradesh Congress MLA RS Bali and a close associate of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in a case related to the generation of fake Ayushman Bharat ID cards and violations of the scheme by many hospitals, officials said.

Raids were conducted in Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh. The agency searched five districts in Himachal Pradesh, including Kangra, Una, Shimla, Mandi, and Kullu.

The agency raided the premises of RS Bali, who is a Congress MLA from Nagrota, chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, and vice-chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board, and Rajesh Sharma of Shree Balaji Hospital in Kangra (a close associate of the current Himachal Pradesh CM), as their names appeared in the fraud, according to officials.

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

In addition to the generation of fake ID cards, officials stated that several hospitals, including Bankey Bihari Hospital and Fortis Hospital, have violated the scheme.

Many medical bills have been generated using these fake cards, causing losses to the exchequer and the public.