New Delhi: A major irregularity has surfaced in the registration and verification process of the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) revealed that nearly 7.5 lakh beneficiaries are linked to a single mobile phone number – 9999999999.
This startling fact was presented in the CAG audit report on the performance of Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The report pointed out that 1,49,810 beneficiaries were also linked to a single mobile number, indicating a serious issue in identity verification under the scheme.
According to the BIS (Beneficiary Identification System) database, many beneficiaries are registered with identical or invalid mobile numbers. Specifically, 7,49,820 beneficiaries were linked to the same number – 9999999999. Another 1,39,300 beneficiaries were linked to 8888888888, and 96,046 were linked to 9000000000.
Scheme Status: 7.87 Crore Beneficiaries Registered
So far, 7.87 crore beneficiary families have been registered under the scheme, which is about 73% of the 10.74 crore target families (as of November 2022). However, the government has since raised this target to 12 crore families.
The report highlights critical lapses in data verification and calls for urgent corrective measures to maintain the integrity and transparency of the scheme.
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