Jitan Ram Manjhi rules out CBI probe in medicine purchase scam

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi today virtually ruled out recommending a CBI probe in medicine purchase scam and said that the state agencies were capable of probing into it and bring culprits to book.

The state investigative agencies are capable of probing medicine purchase scam and bring culprits to book, he told reporters in reply to a question whether the state government was mulling recommending a CBI probe in the matter.

Manjhi said that a probe was already going on in the medicine purchase scam and those founding guilty will not be spared.

Trashing accusations being made by the BJP that the medicine purchase scam had taken place during the former chief minister Nitish Kumar's tenure, Manjhi categorically denied the charge and sought to turn the table on the main opposition saying that the tenure of its minister was also under scrutiny as that of the period of other ministers who held the health portfolio.

The role of the state health society officials was also under scanner in the purchase of medicines, Manjhi said.

A probe panel headed by the Additional Director (Health) K K Singh has indicted the Bihar Medical Services Infrastructure Corporation Limited ( BMSICL) Managing Director Praveen Kishore and eight other senior officials for the medicine purchase scam.

The report disclosed that drugs worth Rs 14.4 crore out of total Rs 60 crore purchased during January and July this year were bought at inflated prices in comparison to the rate fixed by the State Health Society Bihar (SHSB).

Making the report public last week, Health Minister Ramdhani Singh had said that stern action will be taken against those found guilty in the medicine purchase scam.