Centre has given Rs 672 crore for Covid-19 related work: Tamil Nadu CM

KRISHNAGIRI: The Centre has so far given a sum of Rs 672. 59 crore to the state government for Covid related work in Tamil Nadu, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said.
Talking to reporters in Krishnagiri after chairing a meeting with industrialists, farmers and district officials on Wednesday, Palaniswami said that in addition to the Rs 672 crore fund granted to the state, the Centre has spent about Rs 4,394 crore directly under various schemes.
This includes, Rs 2,115 crore worth food ration given for guest workers in TN, Rs 915 crore deposited in the bank accounts of 61 lakh people under Jan Dhan Yojana, Rs 181 crore under another welfare scheme, rice and pulses till June accounting for Rs 1,206 crore and Rs 353 crore respectively. In July again, rice, wheat and cereals worth Rs 384 crore, 18 crore and Rs 61 crore respectively were allotted, EPS said.
“So far, the state and central governments had together spent about Rs 10,000 crore for Covid related work. Of this, the state’s share accounted for Rs 6,000 crore,’’ EPS said.
In June last, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said during a virtual rally that the Centre had given Rs 6,600 crore for Tamil Nadu for Covid. “The Centre has given Rs 6,600 crore to Tamil Nadu specifically for buying medical equipment like ventilators and masks to fight Covid,’’ she had said.
However, EPS said for works which were directly related to Covid TN had received only Rs 672 crore. Out of this, Rs 46 crore for purchase of medical equipment, Rs 312 crore for immediate relief, Rs 48 crore for allied work and Rs 225 crore under budgetary expenditure, he said.
In fact, Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement had raised several eyebrows among the state’s bureacrats who said that the state had not received the sum claimed by the Union finance minister. DMK president M K Stalin had demanded EPS to reveal the funds received from the Centre.