Opp. leaders back govt; uninvited parties upset

Apex court asks Centre to take a call and decide the rates that are reasonable

While the Opposition parties, including the Congress, on Friday largely supported the government over the rising tensions along the Sino-Indian border, they asked why they were not taken into confidence earlier. A controversy was also created with at least three parties — RJD, AAP and AIMIM — upset that they were not invited. RJD MPs even protested at Parliament House.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, representing her party, said: “This meeting should have come sooner. As always, the entire nation would have stood like a rock and fully supported the government.”

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee expressed strong solidarity with the government and pledged: “We will not bow our heads to China.” CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said: “Our country and people must be united at this juncture.”

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◗ COUPLED WITH uniform Covid testing rates, the court also directed setting up of an expert committee in all the states and Union Territories (UTs) to visit all the government Covid hospitals

The Supreme Court on Friday insisted that the Covid testing rates should be uniform across the country asking the Centre to take a call and decide the rates that are reasonable and would be uniformly applicable.

Batting for uniform testing rates across the country, a bench comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M.R. Shah however made it clear, “We are not going to fix the rates, let the Centre fix the rates, but it should be uniform”.

Justice Bhushan heading the bench said, “Reasonable rates be fixed for Covid tests. There must be uniformity in this regard across the country.”

However, solicitor general Tushar Mehta told the court that “In number of places, the number of labs are less, there the rates may be different.”

Coupled with uniform Covid testing rates, the court also directed setting up of an expert committee in all the states and Union Territories (UTs) to visit all the government Covid hospitals to inspect the conditions including treatment of patients and dead body management.

The court said that the expert committee — comprising of medical professionals — would undertake periodic visit of the hospitals and lapses and deficiencies that would be pointed out by it (the expert committee) would be attended and rectified by the authorities of the concerned hospital.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta appearing for the Centre said that the committee would make surprise visits to the hospitals.

Besides the setting up of the expert committee comprising medical professionals, the court in a vigilance measure directed the installation of CCTV cameras in all the Covid wards and the hospitals.

On the dedicated Covid hospitals under Delhi government, the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Centre told the court that an expert committee comprising senior doctors from the central government hospitals, Delhi government hospitals, from All India Institute of Medical Sciences and an officer from the Union Health Ministry has been set-up to inspect, supervise and issue necessary directions to all Covid hospitals.

The court in its order said that the expert committee will make one visit to each of the dedicated Covide hospitals under Delhi government every week and also conduct surprise visits to assess their preparedness.