Congress demands white paper, fact-finding committee on COVID expenditure
H. K. Patil accuses BJP government of involving in large scale corruption.
VIJAYAPURA: Continuing the tirade against the ruling BJP government and accusing of involving in large scale corruption in buying equipments for treating COVID patients, the Former Minister and Veteran Congress MLA H. K. Patil has demanded the government not only to issue a white paper on expenditure but also constitute a fact-finding committee headed by sitting High Court Judge.
Addressing the press at party office on Friday, he accused that the government has purchased several equipments at exorbitant and unreasonable prices.
“Congress demands the government immediately constitute a committee to find out the truth. While the government is defending that it has not involved corruption, only the committee headed a sitting judge can unearth the truth. If the government has an iota of conscience, then let it decide to bring the truth before the people”, he said.
Accusing the government of playing with the lives of doctors and medical staff by purchasing substandard quality PPE kits, Patil described it as an act of grave inhumanity.
Mentioning that the government has purchased old ventilators for extremely higher prices, Patil said that while the Tamil Nadu government has purchased a ventilator for Rs.4 lakh, the government of Karnataka has purchase same ventilator of Rs. 14 lakh.
“Similarly, the mask and sanitizers which cost around Rs.25 each and Rs.250 of 500 ml, have been purchased for Rs.250 and Rs 500 respectively by the government. This clearly shows that the government is involved in the last scale corruption. What is surprising is that even today, the government has not held anybody accountable for this gross corruption even after bringing the matter to the notice and presenting the details with facts”, Patil said.
Claiming that over 10,000 COVID positive patients have given wrong address and phone number, Patil said that these people have completely gone out of the surveillance of the officials.
“Who should be held responsible if these large number of people spread COVID virus among thousands of more people. This is sheer negligence of the officials involved in COVID duty”, he said.
Demanding the government to trace out all these people within 24 hours, Patil asked Chief Minister, B. S. Yediyurappa to resign if his government fails to do that.
Replying to the question on private hospital charging unreasonable prices to COVID patients, Patil said that it was the failure of the government to control the private hospitals.
“We are facing global pandemic, in such a situation, private hospitals cannot be allowed to rule the roost. The government must fix a price and direct the private hospitals not to charge more than that. If the government has no control over private hospitals, then we can judge its administrative ability”, Patil said.
MLC, N. S. Bosaraju, Former Minister and MLA, M. B. Patil, Former Minister and MLA, MLA Shivanand Patil, Yeshwantraigouda Patil, Former MLA and District Congress Committee president, Raju Algur, Former MLA, Vithal Katakadond, Abdul Hamid Mushrif, Mohammed Rafique Tapal and other leaders were present.
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Commercial LPG price hiked by Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder
New Delhi (PTI): The price of commercial LPG was hiked by the steepest ever Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder on Friday, marking the third straight monthly increase due to rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
A 19-kg commercial LPG - used by establishments such as hotels and restaurtants - now costs a record Rs 3,071.5 in Delhi as against Rs 2,078.50 previously.
Rates were last increased by 195.50 per cylinder on April 1. Prior to that, prices had gone up by Rs 114.5 per 19-kg cylinder on March 1.
In three increases, commercial LPG rates have gone up by Rs 1,303.
Prices of domestic cooking gas LPG - the one used in household kitchens - remained unchanged. Domestic LPG rates were last hiked by Rs 60 per 14.2-kg cylinder on March 7. It costs Rs 913 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi.
State-owned Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum revise ATF and LPG prices on the first day of every month based on international benchmarks and the exchange rate.
Global oil prices have shot up almost 50 per cent after the war in West Asia disrupted energy supply chains.
Petrol and diesel prices continue to remain frozen after a Rs 2 per-litre reduction in March last year; petrol currently costs Rs 94.72 per litre in Delhi and diesel Rs 87.62.
