SHILLONG: Apparently the first state in the North East to disclose expenses incurred for COVID-19 management, the Meghalaya Government has claimed to have spent a whopping Rs 399 crore from March till September this year, pushing the state’s financial position into a tight corner. To tide over the situation chief minister and his deputy would be in Delhi next week.
Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong, while reeling off broad heads of expenses, revealed that Rs 188.9 crore was spent under the National Health Mission (NHM) head for corona care centres, procurement of PPEs, ambulances, laboratories and surveillance.
Under the Director of Health Services (DHS), Rs 82.4 crore was spent for the procurement of machines, oxygen cylinders, BP monitors, ventilators, ply masks, thermal scanners, etc.
According to Tynsong, under the Chief Minister’s Special Grant, Rs 14.7 crore was spent as payment to stranded citizens, transportation, provision of kits, while additional Rs 7.4 crore was spent from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for ambulance procurement, bio medical waste vans, and community quarantine centres.
The government also spent Rs 51 crore under the Labour department’s Chief Minister Relief for providing financial assistance to close to 2 lakh people in the state who suffered wage loss during the pandemic and subsequent lockdown.
Further, the government sanctioned Rs 15 crore as advance of Rs 25 lakh to each of the 60 MLAs in the state for extending financial assistance in their constituencies.
Under PM Care, Rs 3.5 crore was spent on accommodation facilities, medical treatment, and food for migrant labourers, and Rs 8.9 crore under District Mineral Fund for screening points, relief camps and quarantine centres in various districts.
Another Rs 23.7 crore was spent from State Disaster Response Fund for the creation of additional testing labs, consumable and testing kits, PPE storage plants in hospital, and setting of containment zones, while the Urban Affairs department spent Rs 3.5 crore for sanitisation works.
Tynsong, who had last week promised to share the figures with the media, said the expenditure would have detailed auditing by CAG and it would reflect in the CAG’s annual report.
He added that the financial position of the government was not conducive and he, along with the chief minister, would again visit New Delhi this month to seek assistance from the Centre.
So far, the state government has cleared the bills worth Rs 251 crore, including Rs 92.7 crore under NHM, Rs 42.4 crore under DHS, Rs 6.4 crore under Chief Minister Special Grant, Rs 7.4 crore under Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, Rs 51 crore under Labour department.
Also, Rs 15 crore for MLA scheme, Rs 3.5 crore under PM Care, Rs 8.9 crore under District Mineral Fund and Rs 23.7 crore under State Disaster Response Fund have been cleared.
It may be mentioned that the state government so far has received an assistance of Rs 48 crore from the Centre.