Bengal minister alleges large-scale irregularities in previous TMC government's health scheme

PTI, Oct 31, 2026, Kolkata: Alleging large-scale financial irregularities in West Bengal's health insurance scheme during the previous TMC regime, Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee said the BJP government had detected "corruption to the tune of Rs 25-30 crore", with millions of beneficiary cards found to be "fake and untraceable".

The "discrepancies" in the 'Swasthya Sathi' scheme came to light as the government began scrutinising its database while preparing to facilitate coverage for eligible beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat and the state's 'Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana', he said.

Mukherjee claimed that the previous government had been spending around Rs 30 crore annually on insurance premiums linked to cards whose beneficiaries could not be verified.

"... We are already seeing corruption to the tune of Rs 25-30 crore. This is not a T20 cricket match, so it will take time. Gradually, you will see how much more information comes out," the minister said on Friday.

"There were fake cards, beneficiaries, patients, doctors, hospitals ... and fake information provided at different levels," the minister alleged.

It is only the "tip of the iceberg of corruption", he asserted.

Mukherjee said the BJP government had initiated a forensic audit to establish the extent of the "financial irregularities" and was also examining the scheme's database.

He also said "discrepancies" had been detected during verification of beneficiaries under the 'Lakshmir Bhandar' scheme of the previous TMC government.