Controversy over Remdesivir supply in Gujarat
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A new controversy has erupted over the supply of Remdesivir, a life saving drug used to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients, with Gujarat facing a major shortage in its stock amidst soaring demand.
On Friday, State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief C. R. Paatil had announced in his home town Surat that 5,000 injections would be distributed by the BJP free of charge to the needy in the city of Surat, one of the worst-hit in Gujarat. Mr. Paatil made the announcement while visiting COVID-19 hospitals in Surat. However, his announcement could not have come at the worse time as the Vijay Rupani-led State government has been struggling to ensure adequate supplies of the injection to hospitals inundated with COVID-19-infected patients as the second wave of the pandemic grips the State.
On Saturday, the Surat BJP office began distributing injections to relatives of patients in need.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced that 10,000 injections had been made available for Surat through special arrangements. When he was asked how Mr. Paatil could get the stock to be distributed his party in the diamond city, Mr. Rupani quipped: “Ask him [Mr. Paatil] how he has managed to get the stock.”
The State BJP chief’s move to distribute 5,000 injections was widely criticised by the Opposition and on social media platforms. They questioned his ability to mobilise supply when it’s regulated though government channels.
“There must be a probe by the State agencies into how the BJP president managed to get the stock of 5,000 injections when people are standing long serpentine queues to get even one injection in all major cities of the State,” said Gujarat Congress leader Arjun Modhvadia.
The State Congress president Amit Chavda also demanded a proble and accused the ruling party’s leaders of “hoarding the injections to create artificial shortage” in the State.
On Friday, the Chief Minister said in Rajkot that the State government had placed an order for 3 lakh injections from different manufacturers. India currently has six manufacturers of Remdesivir, who together produce about 3 lakh injections per day.
On Saturday, Gujarat recorded 5,011 cases and 49 deaths, taking its death toll to 4,746. The State’s active cases stood at 25,129. Health experts and government officials believe that there will be a significant jump in cases before the situation stabilises.
The Chief Minister said that government authorities had decided to set up COVID-19 care centres for primary treatment in community halls and small nursing homes in major cities, and only serious patients would be taken to hospitals. The centres equipped with basic treatment amenities will be primarily used to isolate patients without symptoms or those having mild symptoms.
Courtesy: www.thehindu.com
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
