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| Mediclaim insurance policy probe outcome is awaited | | | R.B.Suri
After a so called hectic exercise of the Finance Department of J&K Government, the Mediclaim Insurance Policy was launched for the benefits of the regular employees and the pensioners as well with great pump and show by the Governor Administration effective from September 1. Not only this, the employees of the governmental autonomous bodies were also made as the beneficiary of this policy. The State Government has spent a big money for the publicity of the Mediclaim Insurance Policy. It is pertinent to mention here that there were big - full page adds in the various dailies of the state besides publicity in the electronic media also. These adds were issued by the Finance Department of J&K Government and were repeated time and again at the cost of the state exchequer. Many controversies were arisen about the applicability of the Insurance scheme. The Insurance premium was deducted from the salaries and the pensions of the employees and the pensioners of the State Government for the month of October as the Mediclaim Insurance Policy was effective from September 1. It is pertinent to mention here that the said Mediclaim Insurance Policy was offered by the Reliance General Insurance Company owned by a big Corporate of the country Anil Ambani which was accepted as being the lowest bidder by the Governor Administration led by the Governor Satya Pal Malik.
During the first fortnight after launching of the Mediclaim Insurance Policy, some murmurings started coming from the mouths of the employees and the pensioners as well. They pointed out certain shortcomings and higher rates of Insurance premium etc etc. under the contents of this policy. Mediclaim Insurance Policy, in question, stands discontinued by the State Government with in a month because of the reason that the Governor of the state Satya Pal Malik received number of complaints and it was alleged that a big booty of money was made as a corruption by the officers of the Finance Department of J&K Government. The Governor Malik Sahib pointed out that based upon the inputs he had in this regard were very serious in nature and ordered a in depth PROBE into the entire deal with the Reliance General Insurance Company owned by Anil Ambani. More than two months are already over but it is surprise to state that up till now, no such out come of the probe ordered by the Governor has come into lime light which is a serious issue indeed. It is worth mentioning over here that the big Corporate Anil Ambani, if we go as per the past experience, always remained as the controversial personality in this country. He is the son of the famous Industrialist Dinoo Bhai Ambani and the younger brother of the Country's richest man Mukesh Ambani. Anil Ambani enjoys very good repute with the top politicians of the country particularly the leaders of the Samajwadi Party led by Mulayam Singh besides very good relations with the Big - B Amitab Bachhan and Jaya Bachhan.
Once again Anil Ambani came into lime light in the national and International print and electronic media, in connection with the Rafale Deal, the Union Government had with French Government. Actually, the Fighter Aircrafts were to be bought from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) by the Government of India. But because of the certain reasons, the Union Government gave the task to the Anil Ambani's company and the Central Government signed the deal with the French Government through Anil Ambani's concern. With this happening , Indian National Congress(INC) raised the issue involved in and outside the country and alleged that the Prime Minister of the country Narender Modi is also involved into this big scam.
Mediclaim Insurance issue remained in darkness as no notification was issued by the Finance Department of J&K Government about the breaching of the said contract between the State Government and the Reliance general Insurance Company. After more than one and half month, J&K Finance Department of Government issued the requisite notification mentioning therein that the said scheme will cease to end on December 31 as the premium for one quarter starting from September to December was already paid to the Insurance company after deducting the same from the October Salaries and pensions of the employees and the pensioners.
This means that there will not be any Mediclaim Insurance Policy. It is surprising to note that the provisions kept in the State Budget for the year 2019-2020 passed by the State Administrative Council (SAC) on December 15 wherein there is no mention of funding of any Mediclaim Insurance Policy for the benefit of the employees and the pensioners. For finalizing the Mediclaim Insurance Policy, all the exercise was made by the Finance Department of J&K Government in a casual and hasty manner. Hurriedly, the requisite tender process was initiated and it is said that the lowest bidder - Reliance General Insurance Company owned by Anil Ambani was given the said contract as also advance money of more than 70 crores of rupees was paid to the Reliance General Insurance Company. Immediately after the launching of the Mediclaim Insurance Policy, over the issue of deduction of premium from salaries and pension accounts of the employees and the pensioners started showing the boiling point as there was major difference in the rate of premium per regular employee (Rs.8750) and the pensioner( Rs.18722). This premium was to be deducted from the employees and the pensioners in four quarterly equated installments starting from September. Under the said Insurance policy, the employees and the pensioners were having the insurance cover of Rs. Six Lacs ( inclusive of their five dependents) Now since the said policy is discontinued by the State Government from January 1, 2019 but certainly the officers who remained at the helm of affairs in finalizing the said Mediclaim Insurance Policy contracted by the State Government with the Reliance General Insurance Company, are going scot free without any deterrent punishment. In the beginning, the delinquents were frightened because it was clear that they will be taken to task by the Governor Administration but it has been observed that with the passage of time, the guilty in this entire scam are passing their lives leisurely without any fear. It is learnt that the Governor Administration is going to just reprimand them with the letter of warning for future only. There is no where scope of the deterrent punishment to them. If they would go scot free, it will a big stigma on the Governor Administration.
There is another scam pertaining to the year 2014 in which the top brass hat of J&K Police was involved in the withdrawal of the fictitious bills / vouchers amounting to Rs 118 Crores from the Government Treasuries of the state in connection with the J&K Legislative Assembly and the Lok Sabha elections held in 2014. This embezzlement case came to light when CAG after having conducted the statutory audit of the accounts of the various establishments of the Police organization. The CAG had pointed out the irregularities, defects and the embezzlements made by the police personnel in a very short span of the event of the elections in the state.
A probe was ordered by the State Government of the time as it happened in the case of Mediclaim Insurance Policy but it is painful to describe that the outcome of the said probe in to the Police scam never came in the public domain as on date. Pertinent to mention here that it is very unfortunate in this country that whenever a small fish in the governmental set up i.e. Patwari / Girdawar or a Revenue clerk of the DC Office is found involved in any sort of corruption or the embezzlement, he or she is always discharged from the Government service. On the contrary, when the higher officers of the Civil Administration or of the Police Administration are involved , they always go scot free as the State Governments protect them and even give them the promotions also. This time too, if the guiltiest are not punished deterrently, the people of this state would consider that the Governor Administration is exactly the same like the political government in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and there is no difference at all. In this eventuality, the guiltiest would treat themselves as the big Supremo as the Kings and consider the state as their or Ancestral property. There should be some sort of fear of Governor Administration. The outcome of the said PROBE must come in the public domain so that the Public at large may know the exact truth in this episode. |
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