AGARTALA, April 8 � An FIR has been lodged against seventeen Health department officials of Tripura including the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Unakoti district Dr Alok Dewan on charge of misappropriation of NHRM funds, official sources confirmed here on Wednesday.
In course of departmental inquiry, it was revealed Rs 4.47 crore has been allegedly siphoned off during the period from 2006 to 2014 by five CMOs and ten MOICs in the undivided North district.
Dr Sandeep N Mahatme, Mission Director of National Health Mission (NHM) who carried out the departmental probe into the alleged NRHM scam, said Rs 4.47 crore funds under the national flagship programme � NRHM was misappropriated by some Health department officials.
�In course of the probe, all the CMOs and MOICs had been asked to submit papers showing utilisation of fund but they could not produce till the date prompting me to lodge FIR against seventeen persons�, Dr Mahatme said.
The FIR was filed at Kailashahar police station in the newly created Unakoti district under section 120 (B), 409, 420 IPC and 13/1/D of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.
Earlier, Congress MLA Birajit Sinha gheraoed the incumbent CMO, Unakoti district demanding immediate arrest of those who were involved in the misappropriation of Rs 26 crore NRHM funds since 2006.
Sensing trouble, the State Government had asked the NHM Mission Director to investigate the allegation of misappropriation of NRHM fund by Health officials. In the departmental probe, it was proved that five CMOs and ten MOICs could not submit any adjustment against Rs 4.47 crore though they had spent the funds.
The development has not only triggered tremor in the undivided North district, the entire Health establishment is grappling after the FIR. Interestingly, the scam had originated from Kailashahar, hometown of the then Health and Family Welfare Minister Tapan Chakraborty.
