Telangana: CID probe finds Chief Minister KCR's relief fund is ‘leaking’ big time

Hyderabad: The CID inquiry ordered by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to probe irregularities in disbursement of CM Relief Fund (CMRF) found grave misuse of funds meant for poor patients in need of medical assistance.

It was found that funds were claimed from the CMRF by submitting fake medical treatment bills. Mr Rao had ordered CID inquiry in January this year after the government received large scale complaints of siphoning of CMRF funds by some corporate and private hospitals in nexus with brokers and officials.

The committee which conducted probe for over four months by questioning hospitals, officials, brokers and beneficiaries, concluded the probe recently and submitted a report to the government. The report was sent to Mr Chandrasekhar Rao last week. He will take a decision on how to recover the amount from the hospitals and those involved in the scam.

However, health minister C. Laxma Reddy and CMRF officials remain tight-lipped on the outcome of the CID probe saying that the issue has been referred to the CM, who will take a call on how to proceed further. Sources revealed that the CID probe found misuse of Rs 36 lakh in as many as 68 cases, where the funds were claimed by submitting fake medical bills.

The probe dealt with disbursal of CMRF cheques to hospitals after June 2, 2014, when Telangana State was formed. As many as 9,200 applications for CMRF were received after June 2, of which the amount was disbursed to 7,200 applicants.