Congress Demands PM Modi Break Silence on CAG Report Flags Discrepancies in Health Scheme and Infra Projects

Strategic Insights -

The Congress party has called out Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report that has highlighted discrepancies in the Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) health scheme and the high cost of the Dwarka Expressway. On the eve of India's 77th Independence Day, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh accused the Modi government of corruption and incompetence, citing the report's findings of inflated project costs and ineligible beneficiaries. The CAG report also flagged faults in the database of AB-PMJAY, including invalid names and dates of birth.

Key Takeaways:

  • The CAG report found that the cost of the Dwarka Expressway increased 14 times from the sanctioned Rs.18 crore/km to Rs.250 crore/km.
  • The report also found that several discrepancies in India's public health assurance scheme Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) led to crores of rupees in expenditure on ineligible beneficiaries due to inadequate validation controls.
  • The CAG report tabled in Parliament noted faults in the database of AB-PMJAY, including invalid names, unrealistic dates of birth, duplicate health IDs and unrealistic family sizes.
  • The Congress party has demanded answers from the Prime Minister on the CAG report's findings, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accusing the Modi government of corruption in infrastructure projects.
  • The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also targeted the ruling BJP, with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal alleging that the PM Modi-led government has broken "all records of corruption".
  • A performance audit by the CAG found that the cost of the 'Bharatmala Pariyojana' highway projects increased from Rs.15 crore per kilometer to Rs.25 crore per kilometer.

Statistics:

  • The cost of the Dwarka Expressway increased from Rs.18 crore/km to Rs.250 crore/km, a 14-fold increase.
  • The CAG report found that several discrepancies in AB-PMJAY led to crores of rupees in expenditure on ineligible beneficiaries.
  • The Congress party has accused the Modi government of constructing infrastructure projects at inflated costs, with the example of the Dwarka Expressway.
  • The Aam Aadmi Party has alleged that the Modi government has committed a scam worth Rs.7.5 lakh crore in the Bharatmala project.

Sources:

  • Hindustan Times, "Congress demands PM Modi break silence on CAG report flags discrepancies in health scheme and infra projects"
  • CAG report tabled in Parliament
  • Congress party statement by Jairam Ramesh
  • Mallikarjun Kharge's statement on infrastructure projects
  • Aam Aadmi Party statement by Arvind Kejriwal