GUWAHATI: Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has asked the Meghalaya government to vouchsafe the details of the funds received and utilised for tackling COVID-19 so far.
“We demand the government to make a public declaration of the details of funds received through various mediums during the pandemic as well as the detailed investment made to ensure transparency,” KHNAM youth wing president, Thomas Passah, told The Shillong Times on Tuesday.
Passah said that “amid tackling COVID-19, there is another worry and that is the use of public money received by the government of Meghalaya either through the central government or through Chief Minister’s relief fund or any other medium.” He said that people of the state have been subjected to immense hardship and suffering during the COVID-19 crisis notwithstanding the involvement of public funds and money sanctioned to the state by the Centre.
The central government, it may be noted, had allocated Rs 33 crore to the state under the State Disaster Risk Management Fund for 2020-21.
“Now, the chief minister had directed the deputy commissioners to allot Rs 25 lakh from the MLA schemes of each MLA for tackling COVID-19 in the state. We want to know where and how much of it has been spent so far. We also want to know whether the MLAs have submitted any utilisation certificate in this regard,” Passah said.
The KHNAM leader further said Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had in July said that 75 crore would be invested to strengthen the 186 public health centres.
“However, the government has allotted the management of many PHCs/CHCs to private firms like Karuna Trust,” he said.
