The Karnataka government has set up an enquiry commission, headed by retired High Court judge John Michael Cunha, to probe the alleged irregularities in COVID-19 management during the previous BJP rule. A government order to this effect was issued on Friday.
The COVID-19 Commission has been asked to complete the probe within three months and submit its report.
Terms of reference
The commission has been entrusted with the task of enquiring into purchase and procurement of medicines, COVID-19 management equipment, Rapid Antigen Test kits, besides purchase and distribution of ventilators and oxygen maintenance by the Health and Medical Education departments.
The probe will also enquire into the deaths due to oxygen crisis and other issues that had made national news during the second wave.
What PAC said
The Public Accounts Committee of the State legislature, in July-August, 2021, accused the previous BJP dispensation of failure to handle COVID-19 pandemic and recommended a comprehensive probe by an independent institution into issues such as purchase of medicines and equipment during the pandemic.
The PAC report that was tabled in the State Assembly in July this year stated that the Health Department had failed to furnish documents related to purchase of medicine, equipment, bed allocation in hospitals, reimbursement of treatment cost to private hospitals and expenditure by various departments on pandemic management.
The PAC had stated that the Health Department officials committed “a serious crime” by understating the deaths due to COVID-19.
Pointing out that there were 1,57,914 more deaths from January to July in 2020 when compared with normal deaths in the previous year, the PAC says contrary to this, the Health Department officials had maintained that there were only 37,206 deaths due to COVID-19 during this period.
Officials from the departments concerned have been directed to provide all related files and documents to the commission for its probe. They have also been directed to accompany the commission during its spot visits for the enquiry.
Government sets three-month deadline to Nagamohan Das Commission too
Bengaluru: The State government has cancelled last week’s order and issued a new one constituting a one-man judicial inquiry commission led by retired High Court judge Justice Nagamohan Das to probe allegations of “40% commission” in State government contracts during the previous BJP regime. While the old order set a 30-day deadline for the probe, the new order issued on Friday, sets a three-month deadline.
