Kolkata: More than 30 lakh beneficiaries enrolled under Bengal’s Swasthya Sathi scheme during the previous govt’s tenure have allegedly been found untraceable during a verification drive, prompting the state to consider stringent action. Senior officials estimate that expenditure linked to these suspected fictitious beneficiaries could exceed Rs 25,000 crore.The discrepancy came to light as the state began verifying Swasthya Sathi beneficiary records for their proposed inclusion under the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat scheme and the state’s Mukhya Mantri Bima Yojana. A senior official said this untraceability also holds true for other schemes of previous govt, like Krishak Bandhu, Khadya Sathi, etc.
