india

Updated: Apr 25, 2020 16:53 IST

Tripura government on Friday ordered a probe into allegations of embezzlement of state funds to purchase kits to prevent coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, as alleged by former health minister and sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Sudip Roy Barman, and urged a two-member panel to submit its report at the earliest.

Barman’s allegations have also led to the removal of Dr. Debasish Basu, secretary, state health department, and Aditi Majumdar, director, National Health Mission, Tripura, from their current positions.

Two state government secretaries --- Tanushree Debbarma and Kiran Gitte --- have been entrusted with the responsibility to conduct the investigation into the alleged embezzlement estimated to be around Rs 39.28 lakh.

“We’ve heard of the allegations about the misappropriation of funds. Our government has formed a two-member inquiry committee to investigate the matter and it’ll submit the report soon,” state law minister Ratan Lal Nath told media persons.

Earlier, Roy Barman had alleged that a section of government officials are taking advantage of Covid-19 pandemic to line their pockets with ill-gotten wealth. He also alleged that the state health department authorities failed to make necessary data entry related to the stock of Covid-19 kits that have been received from government and private entities and also public sector undertakings.

Such items have been misplaced and also sold in the open market by a few health professionals in connivance with others, Roy Barman, who was stripped off the health portfolio in 2019 for his alleged involvement in anti-party activities, alleged. State chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb is holding the additional charge of the health portfolio.

Roy Barman has written a letter to the CM, drawing his attention to the alleged embezzlement. “When the entire world has come together to fight Covid-19 -- the invisible and vicious enemy – when the Centre and other state governments have pledged to fight this common enemy together when our countrymen are generously donating in Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund and CM relief funds during the topsy-turvy situation, it’s frustrating to see a section of officials are hand-in-glove with some nefarious traders to take advantage of this precarious situation in making money,” he wrote in his letter to the CM.

Roy Barman has alleged that an additional Rs 5.45 lakh was paid for the supply of 5,000 hand sanitiser bottles amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown restrictions, which have been imposed from March 25 to May 3, to contain the spread of Covid-19 outbreak.

The former health minister pointed out in the letter that the Central government has assigned a fixed rate for hand sanitisers “... not more than Rs 100 per bottle of 200 milliliters (ml) and the prices of other quantities shall be fixed in the proportion of these prices.”

The state NHM director placed an order of hand sanitisers, priced at Rs 359 each for a 500-ml bottle, inclusive of Goods and Service Tax (GST), despite the Centre’s stipulated guidelines, he alleged.