States » EastPosted at: Oct 30 2026 8:45PM


West Bengal health minister alleges "massive’ Swasthya Sathi irregularities", puts 2.5-3 million cards under scanner

Kolkata, Oct 30 (UNI) West Bengal Health Minister Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee on Friday alleged “massive irregularities in the state’s Swasthya Sathi" health scheme, claiming that verification had flagged around 2.5-3 million cards as fake, untraceable or otherwise suspect and that a forensic audit could reveal a much larger network of alleged fraud.
Mukherjee said the discrepancies had emerged during an ongoing verification of Swasthya Sathi beneficiaries as the government prepares to facilitate their coverage under Ayushman Bharat and the state’s Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana.
Officials have been conducting door-to-door verification of beneficiary records, he said, adding that the exercise had raised questions over the existence of a large number of beneficiaries.
According to the minister, the state had been paying about Rs 30 crore a year in premiums in connection with the allegedly fake or non-existent cards.
“Only the opening batsman has come in, and we are already seeing corruption worth Rs 25-30 crore. The entire innings is yet to be played. This is not a T20 match, so it will take time. Gradually, you will see how much more information comes out,” Mukherjee said.
He alleged that the suspected irregularities were not confined to the creation of beneficiary cards but involved several levels of the healthcare and insurance system.
“There are fake cards, fake beneficiaries, fake patients, fake doctors, fake signatures of doctors, fake hospitals, fake third-party assurance and fake information provided at different levels of insurance,” the minister alleged.
“This is only the tip of the iceberg of corruption,” he said.
Mukherjee said the government had begun a forensic audit of the alleged financial irregularities and was undertaking a detailed examination of the Swasthya Sathi database.
“We are conducting a forensic audit of this financial corruption. An economic audit is being carried out like a post-mortem. We are conducting a thorough search of the Swasthya Sathi data. Gradually, you will be surprised by what comes out,” he said.
The minister also referred to alleged irregularities detected during verification of beneficiaries under the Lakshmir Bhandar welfare scheme, claiming that the suspected scale of irregularities in Swasthya Sathi was considerably larger.
Launched by then chief minister Mamata Banerjee on December 30, 2016, Swasthya Sathi became operational from February 1, 2017. The scheme provides cashless health cover of up to Rs 5 lakh a year to each family, with the state government bearing the premium.
Mukherjee alleged that public money had been spent on premiums for beneficiaries whose existence could not be established during the verification exercise. UNI SEN NST CDS
Tags: #West Bengal health minister alleges "massive’ Swasthya Sathi irregularities"# puts 2.5-3 million cards under scanner
More News

Subsidised urea meant for Indian farmers intercepted on way to Myanmar

30 Oct 2026 | 9:39 PM

Aizawl, Oct 30 (UNI) A truck carrying 550 bags of urea fertiliser without the mandatory government authorisation was intercepted in Mizoram's Khawzawl district on Friday, exposing
a suspected attempt to divert subsidised agricultural supplies to the Myanmar market.

see more..

Vedanta Oil & Gas to unlock NE’s rich hydrocarbon potential

30 Oct 2026 | 9:34 PM

Dimapur, Oct 30 (UNI) India’s leading private oil and gas producer Vedanta Oil & Gas Limited (VOGL) reiterated that it would unlock the Northeast’s rich hydrocarbon potential.

see more..

MP Tai Tagak flags river monitoring gaps, seeks stronger flood management in Arunachal

30 Oct 2026 | 9:30 PM

Itanagar, Oct 30 (UNI) Rajya Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh Tai Tagak has raised concerns over gaps in river monitoring and flood management in the Northeastern state before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, calling for stronger implementation of the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) and comprehensive safety assessments of hydropower projects in the Himalayan region.

see more..

NTPC organises workshop on preventive vigilance

30 Oct 2026 | 9:18 PM

Patna, Oct 30 ( UNI) NTPC Eastern Region-I on Friday organised a workshop on ‘Preventive Vigilance’ to promote preventive vigilance, ethical conduct and good governance and to encourage employees to discharge their duties fearlessly, impartially and responsibly.

see more..

West Bengal Chief Minister says TMC's Abhishek Banerjee suffers from "sodium-potassium problem"

30 Oct 2026 | 9:13 PM

Kolkata, Oct 30 (UNI) The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, on Friday launched an attack on Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, mocking the nephew of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over his warning to police officers and claiming that “fear and panic” had caused him a “sodium-potassium problem”.

see more..