Jaipur:
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Thursday, arrested Jagdish Prasad Meena, former additional director of Rajasthan State Insurance and Public Fund Department (RSIPFD) in connection with reinsurance of state government-owned aircraft in 2007 causing loss of more than Rs 3 crore to the government.
In October, the CBI had raided six premises at several places, including Jaipur, Jodhpur and Mumbai, following a Rajasthan High Court order to begin a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.
"During investigation, it was found that Meena, an RAS officer and presently posted as project director with National Rural Health Mission (NHRM) in Jaipur, played major role in insurance episode during his tenure as additional director of RSIPFD. Meena was called for an interrogation at the CBI office, from where he was arrested on Thursday," a CBI official said.
The insurance deal for the state plane (King air B-200 VTRJA) was finalised on March 22, 2007 and a cover note of the policy was issued on April 28 same year.
The plane was insured for Rs 36 crore and the RSIPFD had paid about Rs 14 lakh as insurance premium.
The incident took place in April 2007 when the then Rajasthan chief minister, Vasundhara Raje, was on-broad a government plane, which slipped on the runway while landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
Although Raje and other had a narrow escape, the plane sustained major damages for which an insurance claim of over Rs 3 crore was sought by the state government from New India Assurance Company, which had insured the plane.
However, the company refused to honour the claim on the ground that it was a direct policy after which the government went to the court.
Recently, the inquiry committee set up to look into this matter had also submitted its report to the state government.
It had mentioned in the report that the state insurance department officials were at fault for delaying the return of the flawed policy to the New India Assurance.
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