NRHM scam: UP official, middleman arrested by CBI

The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a former director of an Uttar Pradesh PSU and an alleged middleman in connection with its probe in National Rural Health Mission scam in which the then minister Babu Singh Kushwaha is the main accused.

CBI sources said the then director in construction and design services P K Bhukesh, an engineer in the UP government and alleged middleman D K Singh were arrested in connection with its probe in the alleged corruption in the upgradation of 134 district hospitals using central government funds.

Kushwaha and the then secretary Pradeep Shukla, among others, are the main accused in the case.

The CBI had alleged that the former Bahujan Samaj Party minister and his close aide, former Member of Legislative Assembly R P Jaiswal, misused their official position to benefit local company Surgicoin Medequip Pvt Ltd.

"The matter pertained to upgradation of 134 district hospitals for an amount of Rs 13.4 crore under NRHM. It was alleged that the said work was given to Ghaziabad and Lucknow-based private firms without following any formalities and on the basis of bogus and forged documents," the CBI had said in a statement.

CBI sources said that during the investigation they found that for every Rs 100 allocated for hospitals, nearly Rs 68 was siphoned off by officials while the remaining Rs 32 was utilised in the project.