AAP MLA Aman Arora has written a letter to Punjab CM Amarinder Singh alleging that the state government is purchasing Covid care kits at a highly exaggerated price. AAP MLA Aman Arora has written a letter to Punjab CM Amarinder Singh alleging that the state government is purchasing Covid care kits at a highly exaggerated price, accusing government officials of complicity in the “scam”.
Arora has told the CM that the state government is procuring 50,000 Covid care kits at a price of Rs 1,700 per kit.
“However, the cost of all the ingredients of the kit when purchased from open market comes to only Rs 943. It is quite clear that like all procurements of the government, here too there is a scam in the making,” Arora said.
The Sunam MLA said that since the government was procuring the kits in bulk the price could be further brought down to ensure huge savings to the beleaguered exchequer.
Covid kits that the state government is procuring to distribute among patients of coronavirus in the state include an oximeter, a digital thermometer, paracetamol, Vitamin C, Giloy tablets and several other medicines.
AAP and Congress have been engaged in a running battle for the past several days ever since the latter announced the distribution of oximeters in the state. AAP had alleged laxity on part of state government and had urged it to tackle the pandemic on the lines of the Delhi government under Arvind Kejriwal.
Congress had hit back at AAP saying that party’s Delhi government had failed to stem the number of coronavirus cases there. It had further alleged that AAP was spreading disinformation in the state regarding state of hospitals and alleged organ harvesting.
Punjab situation better than AAP-ruled Delhi’s: Amarinder Singh
Days after AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s oximeter announcement for the state, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh again trained his guns at the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday and said that the party was indulging in “irresponsible” and “petty” politics over Covid-19.
Addressing a virtual meeting of party MLAs, Amarinder called the Covid situation in Delhi“explosive” and termed as “irresponsible”, the AAP campaign to spread negative propaganda against Punjab government over its handling of the pandemic.
Amarinder said that while India was facing a war-like situation, AAP was busy indulging in petty politics amidst the crisis.
Noting that the Congress was helping governments in all states in tackling the pandemic, even where it was not in power, Amarinder said he was also ready to help any state that asks for it, including Delhi, Himachal Pradesh or Haryana. That is the only way to fight the crisis, he added. “If tomorrow Delhi needs my help I will willingly offer it,” he said.
He added that contrary to what AAP was projecting, Delhi’s situation was much worse than Punjab. With 2.90 crore population, Punjab has 18,000 active cases, while Delhi with 1.80 crore and has 25,000 plus active cases, the CM noted.
To encourage poor people to come out for testing, Amarinder said his government had already started distributing free food packets to those in isolation and with no source of livelihood in this situation. He asked the MLAs to work with the district administration to ensure that the food packets reach the needy so that the poor do not hold back from getting themselves tested for fear of being left without livelihood during isolation.
A government statement said most of the MLAs agreed that the negative propaganda by Opposition parties, who were also blatantly violating norms to engage in political activities, was impacting their efforts to motivate the people into early testing. Social distancing was also not being followed despite all their efforts, they said.
The legislators also complained of private hospitals making a killing out of the Covid crisis by overcharging patients despite the cap imposed by the state government.