Naveen Jain's postmortem of RGHS uncovers ₹10,500 crore mess

AS officer Naveen Jain has become a topic of discussion within bureaucratic circles. Jain has taken on a challenging task that few bureaucrats dare to pursue — reforming the very system they operate within. In an initiative typically reserved for investigative agencies or the police, Jain has stepped into a role addressing deep-rooted systemic issues.

- Rajendra Chhabra

A 2001-batch IAS officer, Naveen Jain is currently the Finance Secretary (Expenditure) and in this capacity, he also acts as the nodal and supervisory authority for the Rajasthan Government Health Scheme (RGHS).

RGHS, launched in July 2021, aims to provide comprehensive health coverage to public servants and the scheme currently benefits approximately 12 lakh registered state employees and their families, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to nearly 35 lakh. The entire cost is borne by the state treasury. Over the past four years, a staggering Rs 10,500 crore has been spent under this scheme.

Despite the number of beneficiaries remaining steady at around 12 lakh, the scheme's expenditure has witnessed a sharp and unexplained surge year after year.