The Centre has allotted ₹6,027 crore as part of its COVID-19 emergency package to States but only ₹4,256 crore, or about 70%, has been released, stated a response by Minister of State Ashwini Kumar Choubey in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday.
The Centre made its allotment in two tranches. In the first, ₹3,000 crore was set aside, and a little more, ₹3,027 crore, was released. From the second tranche of ₹3,000 crore, only ₹1,256 crore had been released as of September 10. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh led the allocations table, with Maharashtra being apportioned ₹843 crore but getting only ₹393 crore. It got no money in its second allotment.
On April 22, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, announced that it had approved “significant investments” to the tune of ₹15,000 crore for 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package'. The funds sanctioned would be utilised in 3 phases and for immediate COVID-19 emergency response an amount of ₹7,774 crore had been provisioned and rest for medium-term support (1-4 years) was to be provided under “mission mode approach”.
The key objectives of the package included mounting emergency response to “slow and limit” COVID-19 in India through the development of diagnostics and Covid-dedicatcd treatment facilities, centralised procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs required for treatment of infected patients, strengthen and build resilient national and State health systems to support prevention and preparedness for future disease outbreaks, setting up of laboratories and bolster surveillance activities, bio-security preparedness, pandemic research and proactively engage communities and conduct risk communication activities. These interventions and initiatives were to be implemented under the “overall umbrella” of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
