Vigilance dept notice to health min’s OSD; AAP hits back at L-G office

THE DIRECTORATE of Vigilance (DOV) on Monday issued a show cause notice to the Delhi Health Minister’s OSD, RN Das, in connection with alleged irregularities in procurement of several medical items such as masks, gloves, PPE (personal protective equipment) kits, and RAT (rapid antigen test) kits worth around Rs 60 crore during the Covid pandemic, said officials.

According to the notice, the DOV observed that “certain medical items were purchased to favour few individuals and companies/firmsand,thereby,caused wrongful gain to the companies and loss to the government...”

Das — who is OSD to Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj — heldthesamepositiontothethen health minister Satyendar Jain, who had resigned in 2023.

Reacting to this, the AAP governmentsaidinastatement:“the laughable allegations borne out of desperation pertain to the time period when Dr Das was neither the OSD to Saurabh Bharadwaj nor Satyendar Jain. He was not even recommended by the then health minister... In the last one year, the L-G office has put in all efforts to make the offices of elected Delhi ministers ineffective. There is a consistent witch hunt launched against officers at the office of Delhi ministers.”

There was no immediate reaction from the L-G office.

Meanwhile, sources close to Das denied the allegations and said that he had become OSD to the health minister on March 14, 2023. “The allegations date back to 2021, during the Covid pandemic. He was only the chairperson and member of the technical panel...”thedovnotice,however, read:“das...wasintheforefrontin managing tenders in favour of a particularfamilyindifferentcompany names, and the conspiracy was hatched in the backdrop of Covid...”itsaidthatthecovidpandemic was used as a “reason and basis to swindle crores of rupees from the public exchequer”.

The notice said the rate of kits was quoted at Rs 459.20 per unit, whichwasrs9.20higherthanthe initial unit price. “...the rate of RAT kits declined every month, and within six months, RAT kits were available at a rate of Rs 31.50 per unit,” stated the notice. The DOV askeddastosubmithisreplywith anexplanationwithinsevendays. On this, Das said: “I have received the notice. I will file my reply within the given time period...”