The Central Bureau of Investigation has sought some clarifications from former Jammu & Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik in connection with a group health insurance scheme case.
“The CBI has not summoned me. They need some clarifications for which they contacted me to find out when I would be available. The meeting has been scheduled for April 28,” said Mr. Malik on phone, adding that during his tenure, he had cancelled the scheme.
The development comes days after the Opposition parties targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Mr. Malik’s several charges made during an interview with journalist Karan Thapar for The Wire.
In April 2022, the CBI had registered two cases on a reference from the State administration, following corruption charges made by Mr. Malik, to investigation the alleged malpractices in the award of contracts related to the insurance scheme; and civil works worth about ₹2,200 crore.
Irregularities were alleged in the award of contract for the Jammu and Kashmir Employees Health Care Insurance Scheme and release of about ₹60 crore in 2017-18. The allegation mainly pertained to the process adopted and rates fixed under the scheme.
According to the agency, the State administration found that the process for selecting the insurer was initiated in February 2017 and a consultant appointed via competitive bidding. A notice-inviting tender was then issued in June 2018 and the new insurer selected in 2018 through competitive bidding. Under the new scheme, an insurance of ₹6 lakh per annum per employee/pensioner on a premium of ₹8,777 (employees) and ₹22,291 (pensioners) had been fixed.
Following protests, the contract was cancelled by Mr. Malik in October 2018. He was the J&K Governor from August 2018 to October 2019.
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal took to Twitter to say: “Since the day Satya Pal Malik exposed the corrupt, incompetent and power-hungry nature of the Modi govt, it was clear that he will be targeted by the PM’s lapdog agencies. Modi ji, these agencies are meant to catch actual criminals, not to settle your political scores.”
