CBI chargesheets Kushwaha under NHRM scam

Ghaziabad, May 31: The

on Thursday accused former Family Welfare Minister of

Babu Singh Kushwaha of abusing his official position to favour private companies while allotting contracts for upgrading of 134 hospitals in UP under the National Rural Heath Mission (

) as it filed its supplementary charge sheet in the case before a special court here.

In its charge sheet filed before a Special CBI court here, the CBI has accused Kushwaha, who was a minister in the previous Mayawati government in UP, and his close aide RP Jaiswal, the then MLA, of misusing their official positions to benefit local company Surgicoin Mediquip Pvt Ltd in the case, CBI sources said.

"The matter pertained to upgrading of 134 district hospitals for an amount of Rs 13.4 crore by C&DS, under the NRHM. It was alleged that the said work was given to Ghaziabad-based and Lucknow-based private firms without following any codal formalities and on the basis of bogus and forged documents. The government exchequer suffered an approximate loss of Rs 5.46 crore in the said case, CBI said in a statement.

Both Kushwaha and Jaiswal are already under judicial custody in Dasna Jail. The CBI has slapped Indian Penal Code sections related to criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust by a public servant, cheating, forgery besides relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act. The agency had filed its first charge sheet in the case on April 3. It had started the probe into the alleged irregularities in the execution and implementation of NRHM funds in Uttar Pradesh since its inception in 2005-06 till last November as per directions of the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court.

PTI