Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Friday announced a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe alleged irregularities under the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY), with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asserting that fraud in public health insurance schemes would not be tolerated.
The SIT, to be headed by Nashik Divisional Commissioner Dr. Praveen Gedam, will comprise experts from multiple departments and investigate alleged irregularities, particularly in Nashik district, where the highest number of suspicious claims have been detected.
Mr. Fadnavis announced the probe after reviewing the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and MJPJAY.
According to the Chief Minister, an audit conducted by the State Health Assurance Society covering the period from 2024 to 2026 identified around 16,000 suspicious claims and surgeries, of which nearly 9,500 were linked to Nashik district. The government has already cancelled the empanelment of five hospitals in Nashik over the alleged irregularities.
“An SIT will be constituted under the chairmanship of Nashik Divisional Commissioner Praveen Gedam to conduct a comprehensive probe into the entire case. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty after the SIT submits its report,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
The CM added that the government would recover any misappropriated public funds and introduce measures to prevent similar fraud in future. He also announced a major overhaul of the monitoring system, under which nearly 13 lakh potentially fraudulent claims will be scrutinised using data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI).
“Maharashtra Cyber Police will be involved in investigating cyber-enabled fraud related to health insurance claims, while a coordinated digital monitoring mechanism will be developed to detect and act against suspicious transactions,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
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