A new series of alleged irregularities has surfaced in the sanctioning of the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF) in Telangana over the last ten years. This comes after previous scandals involving ghost employees and fake pension claims. The recent discoveries have led to the registration of over a dozen police cases across the state.
Stringent New Measures and Online Shift
In reaction to these findings, state authorities are taking decisive action. They are conducting a thorough review of past sanctions, implementing strict new rules, and establishing a rigorous monitoring system for all current applications. The goal is to ensure complete transparency and accountability in the fund's management.
Investigations uncovered serious misuse, particularly concerning cheques issued for medical treatment at private hospitals. Some hospitals are accused of manipulating the system for illicit financial gain. To combat this and improve oversight, the entire CMRF application process has been moved to an online platform.
Congress Government's Crackdown and Dashboard Tracking
Since the Congress party came to power in the state in 2023, nearly 1,700 crore rupees has been disbursed from the CMRF. The fund is now managed through an advanced dashboard system designed to track every allocation meticulously.
Senior officials explained the flaws they discovered. "We identified significant flaws in earlier sanctions, many of which lacked proper basis or criteria for approval. In some cases, funds were misappropriated from the CMRF," they stated. To rectify this, a new policy mandates that only elected representatives or officials from the Prajavani programme can apply on behalf of beneficiaries who hold white ration cards.
Bogus Applications in Khammam and Nalgonda
Further probes have revealed concentrated irregularities in Khammam and Nalgonda districts, where fake applications were found to be rampant. Officials are now meticulously cross-checking 50 applications each from both past and present batches to verify their authenticity.
On average, the CMRF receives about 800 applications from each district. After thorough reviews, the government approves 40-50% of the treatment costs. If any discrepancies are found during this review, comprehensive investigations are launched, and action is taken against those responsible.
Intermediary-Hospital Collusion and Doctor Panel Scrutiny
The fraud also involved alleged collusion between intermediaries and hospitals. Reports indicate that intermediaries collect crucial documents—like ration cards, Aadhaar cards, and bank details—from unsuspecting people. These documents are then used to fabricate discharge summaries and medical records to falsely claim funds for surgeries or treatments that never occurred for non-existent conditions. These fraudulent claims are then submitted online.
To curb such malpractices, a dedicated panel of eight government doctors has been set up within the chief minister's office. Sources familiar with the investigation confirmed that claims are now approved and settled only after this panel conducts a thorough verification.
