Naveen under Opp. ire over irregularities in PPE, masks
■ Official removed from PPE procurement panel
The Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha now faces a crisis of credibility following alleged irregularities detected in procurement of face-masks and personal protection equipment (PPE) for Covid-19 warriors.
The Opposition BJP and Congress on Saturday alleged that the state government had “brazenly utilised” the crisis as an opportunity to make money.
The Opposition attack put the Naveen Patnaik government on the defensive and forced it to remove senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Hemanta Sharma from the committee of procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE), masks and testing kits for fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
The senior bureaucrat, who is said to be very close to chief minister Naveen Patnaik was given the charge procurement for Covid-19 in April, instead of health secretary Nikunja Bihari Dhal. He led the emergency procurement team dealing with the purchase of PPE, viral transport media, testing kits and other medical essentials required in the management of the disease.
Following the allegation of irregularities, the government on Friday evening issued a notification saying Mr Sharma was rescinded from the duty. The government also issued another notification later in the day relieving nine other IAS officers from Covid-19 duties, saying they have been spared to attend to their original administrative responsibilities.
Congress leader Sudarshan Das said the Odisha State Medical Corporation (OSMC) had given a purchase order for triple-layer face-masks to a Faridabad-based company on April 15 at `9.90 per piece. However, the corporation placed another order on April 17 for the same quality of mask with a Tamil Nadu-based firm at `16 per piece while five lakh masks were ordered at `9.90, around 30 lakh masks were ordered at `16.