Comptroller and Auditor-General slams ‘deliberate inaction’ on medical infrastructure in Delhi. Report also slams lack of funding for maternal health programmes, ambulances without key equipment, and absence of ICUs. Report is one of over a dozen the ruling BJP has vowed to present in the House, as proof of corruption by predecessors AAP. The opening days of this Assembly session – the first after the BJP’s thumping win in the election this month – have already see pitched battles between opposition MLAs and the ruling party. The report is expected to be presented post 2 pm, and there will almost certainly be chaos in the Assembly as the under-fire AAP MLAs respond to it. The AAP government used Rs 582.84 of the Rs 787.91 crore released by the centre during the COVID pandemic. The unused amount included Rs 30.52 crore for human resources. An additional Rs 119.95 crore had been released for medicines and medical supplies, including PPE, or personal protective equipment, which was a critical requirement for doctors and nurses treating COVID patients. The CAG was also critical of the earlier AAP government’s flagship ‘mohalla’ clinics initiative, saying 21 did not have bathrooms, 15 had no power back-up, and 12 were not disabled-friendly.
