Covid purchases: BJP demands probe against Kerala CM over CAG report

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala BJP President K. Surendran on Friday demanded a probe against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for the purchases made by the Kerala Medical Services Corporation during Covid period after the CAG report revealed that there was huge loss of funds.

The CAG reports points out that PPE kits was purchased at Rs 1,550 a piece, when the government had fixed it at Rs 550 per piece, even when there were three suppliers who were willing to supply at a lower rate than fixed by the government.

It also points out that a sum of Rs 1.02 crores has to be recovered from a company which was given the contract to supply gloves but it supplied much less than what they were supposed to have supplied.

“A case should be registered against the then State Health Minister K.K Shailaja and others who effected the purchase and a probe against the Chief Minister also should be initiated as without his knowledge such a swindling was not possible,” said Surendran.