Karnataka says no corruption in medical supplies purchase

Karnataka's government rejected opposition demand for a judicial investigation into procurements of health and safety equipment made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. K Sudhakar responded to the allegations during the the State legislative assembly meeting, saying there was no corruption or deviation of funds on the first place

Bengaluru: Karnataka's medical education minister Dr. K Sudhakar asserted that there was no corruption in any of the procurements made during the pandemic. Responding to the allegations of irregularities in the procurement of equipment during Covid-19, Dr. Sudhakar said that there was no deviation of funds or corruption.

"So, where is the question of ordering a probe? The state government rejects all allegations made by the Opposition," the Minister said.

According to Sudhakar, ventilators procured by the Tamil Nadu government are transport ventilators used in ambulances. "Hence, it is not correct to compare our ventilators with those in Tamil Nadu. Ventilators of different specifications and quality are available for different prices; one should not get confused with different prices," he maintained.

“So far, 15 departments have incurred expenditure related to Covid-19. Till date, they have spent Rs. 4,200 crore. Of this, the health department has spent Rs. 1,442 crore,” Sudhakar said in his two-hour-long response at the State legislative assembly meeting on Wednesday.

"There is no instance of corruption in the procurement of equipment for the COVID-19 pandemic in the State. Not even a single deviation has taken place and, therefore, there is no need for an investigation," he asserted.

Earlier, several opposition leaders, including Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah accused the State government of indulging in rampant corruption during the pandemic.

Siddaramaiah asked how the Centre procured ventilators at Rs. 4 lakh. “So, did the Centre procure low-quality ventilators? Also, isn’t it a fact that your own doctors protested against the procurement of poor Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) from a Maharashtra-based company called Plastisurge? Prima facie, it’s a clear case of corruption,” he said.

After the government rejected opposition's demand for a judicial inquiry, opposition Congress lawmakers led by Siddaramaiah walked out of the Assembly in protest on Wednesday.