SHILLONG: Only a day since the government disclosed its expenses incurred for management of COVID-19 in the state and it has been pried by Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR), which asked the government to be “transparent” and “accountable” with regard to the amount of Rs 399 crore reportedly spent on battling the pandemic crisis.
In a petition to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, the TUR asked him to make available details of the expenditure in the public domain.
“The TUR wants detailed break-up of various expenditure besides detailed list of all personnel hired or deputed in corona duties with their emoluments,” it said in the petition.
The organisation also asked the chief minister to make public all contracts and tender documents of all medical and other procurements carried out during the corona crisis.
“There should be a weekly financial report presented to the citizens of the state on COVID-related income and expenditure,” TUR member, Angela Rangad, said in the petition, while adding that the claims of the government about expenditure “hide more than they reveal”.
“For instance, assistance to labourers, daily wage earners, BPL families, to the tune of Rs 51 crore, if we consider the government’s figure then approximately 2,42, 857 persons received cash support of Rs 2,100 each in their respective bank account. However, TUR, in a survey conducted on unorganised sector workers in Shillong, found that very few labourers, daily wage earners and BPL families have received the cash support. Even if some have got this support, it has been mostly single installment of Rs 700,” the petition added.
Further, TUR also expressed its apprehension that the pandemic is being used by some to indulge in “unaccountable financial actions”.
On the statements made by the Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong, about the cost of food being provided to people in corona care centres, the TUR said that it is exorbitantly high.
The organisation expressed similar views on cost of testing kits etc.