Fraudsters Threaten To Bleed Ayushman Bharat Scheme

National Anti-Fraud Unit finds ineligible people claiming medical cover by faking relationship with parent-beneficiary

- Maitri Porecha

Fraudsters are coming up with ingenious ideas to take the Central government for a ride when it comes to the ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’ (PMJAY) or the Ayushman Bharat initiative, says the National Anti-Fraud Unit (NAFU), which monitors outliers in the scheme.

In one such bizarre case, NAFU officials noticed that claims had been raised under the PM-JAY for as many as eight deliveries by women in one house at the same time. “This is impossible. How can eight women be pregnant at the same time, that too in the same home?,” a senior NAFU official exclaimed.

Investigations revealed that up to eight ineligible pregnant women, unrelated to each other, had gotten themselves enrolled in PM-JAY through fake e-cards. These cards were made by faking relationship with a PM-JAY parent-beneficiary. PM-JAY uses Socio-Economic Caste Census Data (SECC) to ascertain beneficiary families and primarily records the name of the head of the family. Other family members get e-cards based on proving their relationship with the head of the family.