The Congress on Monday demanded an immediate inquiry into the alleged profiteering by some companies while importing rapid testing kits for COVID-19 from China and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “act swiftly” against those who are taking advantage of the pandemic.
Former party president Rahul Gandhi said profiteering on rapid testing kits was “an insult to every Indian.”
“That any human being would try & profiteer from the immeasurable suffering of millions of his brothers & sisters, is beyond belief & comprehension. This scam is an insult to every Indian. I urge the PM to act swiftly to bring the corrupt to justice,” he stated.
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The alleged profiteering came to light after an importer, Matrix Labs, got into a legal dispute with another company, Rare Metabolics, that was to meant to distribute/supply 1 million kits to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
While each kit cost Rs. 245, including taxes, they were being sold to the ICMR for Rs 600 a kit. However, the matter reached the Delhi High Court as the importer and the distributor got into a dispute over pending supplies.
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“One had heard that Chinese companies had adopted mercenary pricing but these are Indian companies,” Congress Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari said in an online press conference.
“Just imagine how many more kits could have been bought... Therefore, we demand an immediate inquiry into this kind of profiteering during the pandemic,” he said.
The government should make all documents with regard to import of medical equipment in the past one month public. “Society should also know who are making such profits even during these times,” he added.
