BJP will hoist its victory flag in Mandya: MP Pratap Simha
Lashes out at Deve Gowda’s family
Mandya, October 14: Lashing out at the family of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha said that the Mandya district was deprived of development from those who do politics in Mandya sitting in Hassan.
Addressing the party workers and leaders at the party office here on Sunday, Pratap said that the district was not developed because of Deve Gowda’s family. When Deve Gowda was the Chief Minister in 1995, he had signed NICE road project aimed at developing Bengaluru-Mysuru route. But till date, the project was not completed. Every day, around 35,000 vehicles ply on the road. In order to avoid accidents and deaths, the BJP government has announced the road as National Highway and approved to develop it as ten-lane road. Already, land was acquired for the purpose at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore and work was started at Rs 2,000 crore. Apart from this, it was planned to open Passport centre in district centre, he said.
BJP candidate Dr. Siddarame Gowda had worked in the ABVP during his student life and done a good job as Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission. So, the party has given him the ticket and this time, the BJP would hoist its victory flag in Mandya, Pratap Simha said.
BJP leader Shivalinge Gowda said that the liars and actors would become the JDS candidates. The JDS has given ticket to a liar which will help the BJP, he said.
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Karnataka procured 16 lakh expired RT-PCR kits during Covid wave: D’Cunha commission
Bengaluru: Justice John Michael D’Cunha’s committee has uncovered significant irregularities in the procurement of medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic, revealing that more than 16 lakh RT-PCR test kits purchased by Karnataka in 2022 under the BJP-led government were either expired or close to their expiry dates.
After irregularities in PPE kit purchases, ventilators have also come under the scanner, with the report highlighting discrepancies amounting to Rs 173.26 crore in purchases made by the Medical Education Department.
The commission has also found that the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd. (KSMSCL) that cancelled a supply order for one lakh Rapid Antigen (RAT) kits placed with a Singapore-based company in March 2020 — for delay in supplying — has not recovered the Rs 6.99 crore paid to the company towards the order, as reported by The Hindu on Thursday.
According to the 279-page report on procurements made by the KSMSCL that is compiled in part IV of the report, a payment of Rs 148.84 crore was made by KSMSCL to various suppliers and firms towards procurement of RT-PCR kits from 2020 to 2022.
The Commission’s report, as cited by the publication, stated that there were records indicating procurement of RT-PCR kits, RNA extraction kits and Viral transport media (VTM) of a total value of Rs 106.25 crore during the pandemic in Karnataka. However, according to the report, this procurement was made without administrative approval.
“Since the KSMSCL has failed to discharge its obligation and responsibility, the loss caused to the State exchequer to this extent is required to be replenished by the erring officers and/or officials of the KSMSCL as well as the officers and/or officials of the consignee designated laboratories who received the consignment,” the report said, pegging the losses due to expired kits supplied by companies at Rs 3.11 crore.
In response to the report’s findings, state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao criticised the saffron party for profiting from the pandemic. He promised accountability for the irregularities involving PPE kits and ventilators, stating that those responsible would face punishment.
