Karnataka CM urges PM to supply 1,471 tonnes of oxygen and two lakh doses of Remdesivir
Bengaluru, Apr 23: Amid surging COVID-19 cases, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday urged the Centre to supply 1,471 tonnes of oxygen and two lakh doses of Remdesivir.
The CM made this request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the PM's video conference with chief ministers of 10 states, where coronavirus cases have exploded in an alarming proportion.
Karnataka had recorded 25,795 fresh cases and 123 deaths on a single day on Thursday.
"The state needs 1,142 tonnes of oxygen from April 25 and 1,471 tonnes of oxygen after April 30.The chief minister appealed to the Prime Minister to rectify the shortage of oxygen and immediately allocate 1,471 tonnes of oxygen," the Chief Minister's office said in a statement.
Yediyurappa said 500 tonnes of oxygen was used on Thursday.
"The Centre had supplied only 300 tonnes of oxygen.
If this situation persists, many healthcare centres may have to be shutdown," the Chief Minister pointed out.
Yediyurappa said the infection count was going up in an alarming proportion in Bengaluru, Tumakuru, Ballari, Mysuru, Hassan and Kalaburagi due to which the demand for Remdesivir injection has also spiralled.
"While the state is careful that there is no dearth of Remdesivir injection, the Chief Minister appealed to the Prime Minister to supply two lakh doses of Remdesivir in the next 10 days," the statement said.
Explaining the measures taken by the state government to tackle the Covid situation, Yediyurappa said the government has ordered private hospitals to reserve 50 per cent of beds for coronavirus patients.
The government has permitted the private hospitals to use nearby hotels as step-down hospitals while plans are underway to set up field hospitals with ICU facilities in the coming days, Yediyurappa told the Prime Minister.
He also apprised Modi about the stringent measures taken to curb the rising COVID cases in the state.
According to the Chief Minister's office, the Prime Minister emphasised on reforms of the healthcare system.
Underlining the need to strictly implement the precautionary measures and avoiding unnecessary hospitalisation, the Prime Minister asked the states to prioritise adequate and moderate use of oxygen.
"Modi advised that oxygen should be audited in all states so as to prevent its misuse.He also suggested that state governments should facilitate the smooth flow of oxygen tankers," the statement said.
For the judicious usage of oxygen and remdesivir injection, the Prime Minister asked the states to control the anxiety among people, the statement read, adding Modi asked states to rope in retired personnel to contain coronavirus cases.
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Govt employees mandated to complete competency-linked courses: Centre in Rajya Sabha
New Delhi (PTI): All central government employees have been mandated to complete competency-linked courses relevant to their role or level on a dedicated online platform annually, which will reflect in their annual performance appraisal reports, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
The government has adopted a competency-based capacity building approach, focusing on role-based learning, continuous skill development, and alignment of training with role requirements, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply.
"The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has mandated all central government employees and officers of the all-India services to complete competency-linked courses mapped to their role/level and comprehensive assessments prescribed by their ministries/ departments/organisations (MDOs) or cadre controlling authorities (CCAs) on iGOT (integrated government online training) portal annually, which is to be also reflected in their annual performance appraisal reports (APARs)," he said.
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The minister was responding to a query about the government's plans to incorporate competency-based scores for promotion and appraisal processes of its employees.
A framework of roles, activities and competencies (FRAC) aims to align all positions in government with clearly defined roles, activities, and required competencies (behavioural, functional, and domain), Singh added.
In a separate reply, the minister said that details of the engagement of consultants are maintained by respective ministries and departments.
The General Financial Rules (GFR), 2017, administered by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, provides for the fundamental principles applicable to all ministries or departments concerning the engagement of consultants and external professionals or consultancy firms for specific jobs, he said.
"As informed by the Department of Expenditure, data regarding engagement of consultants is maintained by respective ministries and departments," Singh said.
The minister was asked the year-wise number of consultants engaged by all the central ministries and departments during the last five years.
