Rs 399 crore spent to fight COVID: Meghalaya Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong

SHILLONG: Meghalaya spent Rs 399 crore to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, since March till September 30. Informing this here on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong added that Rs 188.9 crore was spent to meet the expenditures of the corona centers, procurement of PPEs, ambulances, lab and surveillances and other facilities under the National Health Mission (NHM).

Under the Director of Health Services, Rs. 82.40 crore was spent for procurement of machines, oxygen cylinders, BP monitors, ventilators, surgical gloves, thermal scanners and others items. Under the Chief Minister Special Grant — which included payment to stranded citizens of the State, bringing them back and cost of their kits — an amount of Rs. 14.70 crores was spent. Under the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, Rs 7.40 crores was spent on ambulances, bio-medical waste vans and charges for quarantine centers.

Tynsong also informed that the Labour Department spent Rs 51 crores under the 'Chief Minister Relief Against Wage Loss' scheme to around two lakh people of the State and for the registered workers under the 'Construction and Other Building Workers Act' . He also informed that Rs 15 crores as advance sanctions were released to 60 legislators for providing assistance to the citizens in their respective constituencies. This amount was released under the SRWP or the MLA scheme.

Tynsong also informed that under PM-CARE, a total of Rs. 3.50 crore was spent. Under the District Mineral Fund, an amount of Rs. 8.90 crores was spent for relief grants, screening point and other facilities. Besides, under the SDRF, Rs 23.70 crores were spent for additional testing of labs, consumable testing kits, setting up of containment zones and other facilities. Moreover, Rs. 3.50 crores were spent by the Urban Affairs Department for sanitisation work in areas under its jurisdiction. Tynsong informed, "So far, the State government has cleared bills of Rs. 251 crores."

He also said that the State received an amount of Rs 48 crores from the Centre to fight the pandemic. "The expenditure will be reflected in the annual report of the CAG," Tynsong informed.