Fine Collected From Lockdown Violators To Be Used To Buy PPE, Masks In One Chhattisgarh District

The Balodabazar district administration in Chhattisgarh has decided to use the fine amount collected from lockdown violators to buy personal protective equipment kits and masks for health workers and improving facilities for patients in government hospitals.

Keeping local health centres strong during the coronavirus pandemic is essential for people's health, district collector Kartikeya Goyal said on Monday.

"Generally, the fine collected is used by the department concerned, but in view of ongoing fight against COVID-19, we have decided to exclusively spend it for health purposes, including buying personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, masks and other medical equipment," he said.

The money will also be used for ensuring certain facilities to patients in community health centres, he said.

Since this decision was taken on May 8, various government departments, including local civic body, revenue and police, have recovered penalties worth around Rs 3 lakh from those not wearing masks in public places, flouting quarantine protocols or other prohibitory orders, he said.

All the departments concerned have been directed to issue a challan receipt in the name of Jeevan Deep Samiti so that the fine amount can directly be transferred into its account, he said.

The Jeevan Deep Samiti is a committee which manages the functioning of community health centres in the district. The collector is the chairman of the committee and the block medical officer is its secretary.

"Health care workers and other frontline warriors dealing with the pandemic are susceptible to infection and therefore, they are more in need of PPE kits, masks and other safety gears," Goyal said.

The funds of the committee are spent on renovation of hospitals, their maintenance and improving health facilities. Now, consolidating funds in the time of crisis will add impetus to the committee's activities, he added.