Pay Rs 2K, get fake Ayushman card in Punjab

Karam Prakash

Patiala, July 28

Just pay Rs 2,000 and you can easily get a health insurance card and avail benefits up to Rs 5 lakh in any private hospital under the Ayushman Bharat Sehat Bima Yojana (ABSBY). And surprisingly, for this, you don’t even have to be an eligible beneficiary!

In a major scam of its kind, fake Ayushman health insurance cards are being issued at various cybercafés in the state by paying a meagre sum of Rs 2,000. The touts roam around government and private hospitals to fetch customers. Thereafter, they just take the Aadhaar card details and issue a fake Ayushman health card within a few hours.

ABSBY is a national health insurance scheme that was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Notably, the Ayushman scheme has a benefit cover of Rs 5 lakh per year. A beneficiary, covered under the said scheme, can automatically become eligible to get cashless benefits from any public/private empanelled hospital across the country.

Sources claim the scam has been running for quite some time now. “Credentials of eligible beneficiaries are used to issue a fake card. Father’s name and the address of the fake health card usually do not match with the Aadhaar card,” an official privy to the implementation of the scheme in Punjab said.

Meanwhile, The Tribune correspondent, as part of the investigation, visited a common service centre (CSC), wherein, the tout brazenly said anyone could get an Ayushman card for Rs 2,000. The correspondent then got the Ayushman card made after paying Rs 2,000 in just a few hours.

Some private hospitals, which flourished exponentially for having been empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, are said to have been involved in the scam.

Actual beneficiaries

• National Food Security Act card ration card holders
• People belonging to the categories defined by the Socio Economic Caste Census
• Construction workers
• Small traders | Farmers | Journalists

Modus operandi

• The touts, operating at various kiosks throughout the state, after using genuine login credentials of the Ayushman Bharat portal, first look for a customer around government and private hospitals
• Credentials of eligible beneficiaries are used to issue a fake card. After this, using their own credentials (authentic login id), they approve these fake beneficiaries and issue a card at the payment of just Rs 2,000

Officialspeak

We have checks and balances to stop such malpractices. However, we will look into the matter at the earliest. — Ajoy Sharma, Principal Secretary, Health Department

I am not aware of the issue. However, I will ask the officials concerned to look into the matter. — Chetan Singh Jouramajra, Health Minister

Beneficiaries eligible to get cashless benefits from any hospital