SHILLONG, Feb 7: Former DHS Aman Warr who has joined the fray has claimed that the Covid-19 expenses were Rs 248 crore. He has no clue as to how the government figures stood at Rs 816 crore.
The Assembly was informed last year that the state government had incurred Rs 816 crore during the pandemic.
After filing his nomination as the UDP candidate from North Shillong constituency, Warr said, “As far as Rs 816 crore is concerned, you have to ask people who are involved in spending this money.” He added that the government placed everything pertaining to Covid-19 on the floor of the House and the MLAs could have questioned then.
“But I know there is no irregularity,” he said.
He denied having gotten richer after the pandemic, saying he worked for 30 years and earned and saved money for himself.
“Covid-19 came like a hurricane and it disappeared like a calm breeze. All Covid warriors, including Dorbar Shnongs, fought it well,” he said.
He also said that the state had inadequate facilities and manpower when the pandemic arrived. The DHS (MI) had placed before the House an expenditure of Rs 248 crore.
The claims of the government that it spent more than Rs 816 crore for Covid management has come under the scanner as Manipur, which had more cases than Meghalaya, handled the pandemic with less than Rs 100 crore.
Health Minister James PK Sangma had, in September last year, stated in the Assembly that the government has spent an amount of Rs 816,22,52,312 on COVID-19. Of this, the government spent Rs 739,66,34,312 while Rs 76,56,18,000 was borne by the Centre.
Out of the total, the government spent Rs 49,98,09,560 on infrastructure while the remaining amount of Rs 766,24,42,752 was spent for non infrastructure purpose.
The Congress has alleged the MDA Government of being involved in a “Covid scam”. Referring to the Health Minister’s reply in the Assembly that Rs 816 crore was spent by the government for 96,785 confirmed Covid cases and 1,624 Covid-related deaths, the Congress said, “If we deduct the ex-gratia payment of Rs 50,000 which the govt had promised to the relatives of those who had died of Covid-19, then an amount of Rs 8.12 crore would have been disbursed. There is no information furnished by this govt of the status of the ex-gratia relief.”
“Now compare this with Manipur which had more Covid cases (1.4 lakh) and deaths (2,149) as compared to Meghalaya but spent a measly amount of only Rs 78 crore. So Meghalaya’s expenditure for lesser number of Covid cases and deaths was more than 10 times that of Manipur,” the Congress had said, adding that Meghalaya spent Rs 83,484 per person suffering from Covid as against Rs 4,803 per person spent by Manipur.
The Congress also said the then DHS, Aman Warr under whose watch the “Covid scam” happened, is now contesting as an UDP candidate from North Shillong. “We would like the people of Meghalaya to draw their own conclusions,” it had said.
