In a what sounds a bizzare bit of news, a 65-year-old woman in Bihar has been shown in official records as having delivered eight children in the last 13 months. She is one of the many beneficaries of National Maternity Benefit Schemes (NMBS) in the district. NMBS is a scheme to boost institutional delivery of babies. Under the scheme, Rs 1,400 is given to the mother, while Rs 600 is paid to ASHA worker for assistance. Leela, however, is surprised. Her husband, a small farmer, is too. Documents in HT possession show Leela has given birth to babies eight times in the last 18 months.
My last baby is a boy and was born 21 years ago. I came to know I had been included as a beneficiary and money had been given to me nearly a week ago. When I approached the operator of a CSP (customer service point) centre, where my account is, I was asked by the operator not to lodge a case and that they will return the money withdrawn in my name,” she says. Leela is not the lone elderly woman to have “benefited” under the scheme. Money has been deposited into and withdrawn from the accounts of more than 50 women fraudulently in the district. Another woman, Shanti Devi (66), has been shown having given birth to two babies the same day, within an interval of 10 hours, despite the fact the babies are not twins.
Sabina Khatoon (59) of the same village also has been shown as a beneficiary of the scheme. A probe has now been ordered after the news soon went viral. Dr Upendra Choudhary, in-charge of the Public Health Centre (PHC), said since the concerned clerk was on leave, he won’t be able to shed much light on it. Civil Surgeon Dr SP Singh, however, assured that suitable action would be taken against the guilty. “We will get to the bottom of the matter after proper investigation and ensure the culprits are brought to book,” said Singh.Senior gynecologist Dr Indu Kumari said, “No woman can give birth to baby after menopause.”However, superintendent of Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, Dr Sunil Kumar Shahi, said woman older than 50 years giving birth to a baby cannot be ruled out altogether.