THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, Feb 28: BJP state president and former chief minister Babulal Marandi criticized the Jharkhand government, citing the latest Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report. He claimed that the past five years under the Hemant Soren-led administration have been marked by financial mismanagement, corruption, and misuse of public funds.
He demanded that the government release a white paper detailing financial activities over the last five years.
Severe Shortage of Medical Staff and Medicines
Marandi pointed out that the CAG report highlights a critical shortage of medical personnel in Jharkhand. As of March 2022, 2,210 out of 3,634 sanctioned positions for medical officers and specialists remained vacant, representing 61% of the required workforce. The report also reveals an alarming lack of staff nurses and paramedics in government hospitals.
Additionally, essential medicines were in short supply. Between 2020-21 and 2021-22, shortages ranged from 65% to 95% in community health centres, district hospitals, and medical colleges.
Underutilization of COVID-19 Relief Funds
According to the CAG report, the state government failed to utilize the full amount allocated for COVID-19 management. The central government released ₹483.54 crore, requiring the state to contribute ₹272.88 crore. However, only ₹436.97 crore of the total ₹756.42 crore was used—just 32% of the available funds.
The Home, Jail, and Disaster Management Department released ₹754.61 crore from the State Disaster Fund for COVID-19 relief between March 2020 and December 2021. By February 2022, only ₹539.56 crore had been spent. This underutilization affected critical projects, including RT-PCR labs at the district level, a Centre of Excellence in Paediatrics in Ranchi, and liquid medical oxygen plants.
Due to the lack of district laboratories, COVID-19 samples had to be sent to other districts, causing delays of five days to over two months in obtaining test results.
Unaccounted ₹19,125 Crore Raises Corruption Concerns
Marandi accused the government of financial irregularities, citing the non-submission of utilization certificates for ₹19,125 crore. The CAG report notes that during 2023-24, 5,209 utilization certificates were missing for grants-in-aid issued by various state departments. The report questions how these funds were spent, raising concerns about possible corruption.
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Irregularities in Welfare Schemes
The audit also uncovered suspicious maternity benefit claims. In Bokaro and Dhanbad, cases were found where women employees reportedly had a second child within four months and received ₹1,500 under the Maternity Benefit Scheme. The report raises concerns about fraudulent payments in such welfare programs.
Concerns Over Abua Swasth Yojana
Marandi criticized the newly announced Abua Swasth Yojana, which promises ₹15 lakh per year for healthcare. He alleged that the government set restrictive conditions, requiring hospitals to have at least 50 beds in urban areas and 30 beds in rural areas. As a result, only about 15 hospitals in Jharkhand would qualify, leaving rural areas with little to no coverage.
He accused the government of trying to minimize expenses by limiting the number of eligible hospitals and redirecting funds to large corporate healthcare providers instead of benefiting ordinary citizens.
