India's Comptroller and Auditor General has flagged severe implementation failures in Bihar's Ayushman Bharat health scheme and Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana. Only 41% of targeted beneficiaries were verified under Ayushman Bharat, while 94% of completed houses under PMAY lacked basic toilets. The audit reveals fund underutilisation, delayed claims processing, weak monitoring, and financial irregularities totalling crores of rupees.
Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), launched nationally in September 2018, provides health coverage of ₹5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care. In Bihar, this scheme targets 1.21 crore households covering 6.18 crore beneficiaries. Simultaneously, Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) sanctioned 30.67 lakh houses between 2017-24, claiming 94% completion. The CAG's performance audit examined both schemes across Bihar's Health and Rural Development departments from 2017 to March 2024, conducting test-checks in sampled districts, hospitals, and block offices to assess implementation quality and financial management against constitutional accountability standards.
The CAG's performance audit report, prepared for Bihar's Governor under Article 151, identified critical failures in AB-PMJAY implementation. Only 2.56 crore beneficiaries (41% of 6.18 crore targeted) were verified by March 2024, with verification approval granted to 2.18 crore beneficiaries despite zero or sub-threshold confidence scores. Hospital empanelment faced delays of one to over 200 days; of 1,005 empanelled hospitals, 226 (22%) remained inactive. Claims processing took up to 1,821 days against stipulated 15-day timelines; 8,371 of 14,015 rejected pre-authorisations (60%, ₹12.20 crore) were denied due to delays and non-compliance. Significant fund closing balances of ₹53.58 crore to ₹159.53 crore accumulated annually. For PMAY-G, 28.94 lakh of 30.67 lakh houses reported completed lacked basic toilets; fund releases fell short by ₹63.97 crore to ₹1,734.13 crore, and ₹6.05 crore was diverted illegally.
For Ayushman beneficiaries seeking hospital care, the 41% verification rate and 1,821-day claims processing means millions remain without functional coverage despite enrollment. A patient awaiting reimbursement faces near-two-year delays instead of 15 days, creating severe financial hardship. For PMAY-G beneficiaries, 94% completion rates mask reality: 50%+ of 'completed' homes lack toilets, rendering them uninhabitable. A rural family receiving an uncompleted, toilet-less house gains no shelter improvement. Fund underutilisation (₹53.58-₹159.53 crore annually in AB-PMJAY) means allocated welfare money remains unspent, failing to reach intended populations. For Bihar's exchequer, diverted funds (₹6.05 crore) and blocked funds (₹7.72 crore for eight years) represent lost resources. The schemes' failures affect 6.18 crore health beneficiaries and 30.67 lakh housing beneficiaries—roughly 25% of Bihar's 125 million population.
The CAG report, submitted to Bihar's Governor under Article 151, will be tabled in the Bihar Legislative Assembly within 14 days. The government must file a formal response to all audit findings. Key deadlines: beneficiary verification completion by June 30, 2026; hospital empanelment and claims processing acceleration within 120 days; recovery of diverted ₹6.05 crore and blocked ₹7.72 crore by September 2026. The State Health Agency must implement biometric authentication for all claims and reduce processing timelines to statutory 15-30 days. The Bihar Swasthya Suraksha Samiti must fill 100 vacant posts (55% vacancy) within three months. Block offices must prepare pending Annual Action Plans by May 2026. Monitor compliance reports in July 2026 and Parliamentary mention in Budget Session 2026.