CPM seeks action against officials, politicos

Vijayawada: Demanding action against the accused who swindled Rs 404.86 crore in the Employees State Insurance Corporation during the period between 2014 and 2019, the CPM leaders staged a protest demonstration in front of the ESI hospital here on Saturday.

CPM leader Ch Babu Rao, expressing disgust against the ESI officials and the politicians who swallowed crores of rupees of money belonging to employees and the workers, said that about Rs 600 crore has been misappropriated in the last five years in the name of telemedicine, purchase of medicines and even operations.

He demanded complete recovery of the amount from the officials and the politicians.

He recalled that the then Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya promised that the ESI hospital would be upgraded into super-specialty hospital but no action was taken in that direction.

He also demanded immediate arrest of the accused in the scam and stern action would be taken against them. "The CPM would launch a massive agitation and mount pressure on the government to act swiftly in the scam," he added.

CPM leader D Y Krishna said that the patients who were referred to the super specialty hospital were not being admitted there because the ESI was not paying the amount to them. The ESI dispensary in Gunadala was in dilapidated condition, he deplored.

CPM leaders B Nageswara Rao, B Ramana, B Satyababu, M Sudhakar and former corporator K Saroja were present.