Congress, NCP to raise issue of ‘Rs 297 crore scam’ in houses

Congress and Nationalist Congress Party will raise the issue of the alleged Rs 297 crore scam in procurement of medicine in the public health department in both Houses of the state legislature on Monday.

The alleged scam relates to the random purchase of medicines under the National Urban Health Mission in which the Centre gives allocation. The state’s public health department had invited tenders for the purchase of 549 medicines and Rs 297 crore was allocated for this. The purchase was made for 26 civic bodies, 65 municipal councils and four cantonment boards. The ads for purchase of these medicines were issued in newspapers in Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim and Assam. In order to ensure that the allocation does not get lapsed before March 31, mass orders were issued to suppliers, but they got the orders much after April 15 last year.

Commenting on minister for public health Dr Deepak Sawant’s clarification, Dhananjay Munde, leader of opposition in state Legislative Council, remarked, “If the purchases of the medicines is being done at the director health services level, and at the lower level, let the secretary run the department; why have the minister ”

“If the government so readily agrees to constitute a probe headed by retired judge against a person like Dr Tatyarao Lahane, why is the government scared to probe this scam ” Mr Munde asked.