Saryu accuses Jharkhand Health Minister of misappropriating huge amount of money in the name of COVID incentive  

Jamshedpur, April 13: Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Rai, known as a whistleblower in various cases like fodder scam and illegal mining has targetted his old rival Jharkhand Health Minister and Jamshedpur West MLA Banna Gupta. 

In a letter written to chief minister Hemant Soren, Saryu Roy has made serious allegations against Banna Gupta of financial irregularities by misusing the treasury.

In the letter, Saryu Roy asks Hemant Soren to initiate action against Banna Gupta and recovery of illegal withdrawals made from the treasury. 

The matter is related to the payment of incentive amount to those working during the Covid period. In the complaint letter, Saryu Rai has said that during the Covid-19 period, illegal withdrawal of Rs 103 crores has been done in the head of incentives, which is a case of departmental malpractice and financial irregularities.

The complaint letter alleges that at the end of the financial year 2021-22, the Health Minister of the Jharkhand government has illegally withdrawn crores of rupees from the treasury on the pretext of Covid epidemic by illegal order. It has been told in the letter that according to the resolution number 54 (7) dated 1.5.2021 of the Government of Jharkhand, contact tracing, testing, super vision related to the global epidemic,  working in Covid Hospital, Covid Ward, office and control room. Incentive amount equivalent to one month’s basic salary or honorarium was to have been provided to the medical personnel and doctors deputed for work related to Covid. 

The regular and contractual workers eligible to get the incentive amount were to be identified by the department. The committee constituted in this regard by the Health Department prepared a list of 94 health workers falling in the eligibility category who were eligible to get the incentive amount, but a list of 60 additional names was sent to the department from the Health Minister’s cell. The minister’s own name is at the top of this list. Apart from this, the names of 34 bodyguards and other policemen appointed and deputed under the protection of two  secretaries of the Health Minister, personal assistants, clerks, computer operators, assistants, order keepers, eight drivers, four sanitation workers and the minister also got the incentive amount. recipients included. 
“The departmental minister is responsible for this” Roy letter concludes. 
Banna Gupta did not respond to call on his phone number ,