INLD alleges ‘scam’ in medicine purchase, demands CBI probe

Chandigarh, March 18

The INLD today alleged there were irregularities to the tune of hundreds of crores in the purchase of medicines in state government hospitals and demanded a CBI probe in the matter.

Norms were violated in the purchases made at the district level by officials over the past three years, INLD’s Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala told the media here.

He claimed that over the past one year, the INLD had gathered information from five districts of Rewari, Hisar, Faridabad, Rohtak and Jind through the RTI mode, and alleged the “scam” in these districts was pegged to be at Rs 125 crore.

“We have sought replies to our RTI queries from all 22 districts, but today we are presenting before the media the information we have collated from the five districts. According to our estimates, the total scam would be more than Rs 300 crore and therefore, we are demanding a CBI inquiry into this,” he said.

“There is a centralised purchase committee for buying of any kind of medicines or implements which are used in hospitals. Over the past three years, there has been a government centralised tender, but every district called for their own quotations too. They have not purchased at tender mode. Some items were purchased at highly inflated rates. For example, a face mask is worth 95 paise, but in Fatehabad that mask was purchased for Rs 4.95,” he alleged. — PTI