NEW DELHI: Ahead of tabling a CAG report on health infrastructure and management in the Delhi Assembly on Friday, the AAP accused the ruling BJP of indulging in vendetta politics by suspending Opposition members, effectively denying them a chance to present views on the findings of government auditor.
After a meeting of Delhi AAP on its strategy, city unit chief Gopal Rai said, “This is, perhaps, for the first time that Opposition MLAs are not being permitted to enter the Assembly premises.”
Speaker Vijender Gupta suspended 21 AAP legislators on Tuesday for unruly behaviour during the address of Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena. The Opposition legislators, barring Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan, are barred from entering the Assembly premises, forcing them to protest on the road outside the premises of the legislature.
On Friday, Delhi AAP convenor and former Minister Rai demanded that the BJP government table all pending CAG reports in the Assembly in one go and give an opportunity to Opposition legislators to present their views.
The BJP seems to be more interested in making political capital out of CAG reports rather than having a healthy discussion, he said.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on 'Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services in Delhi', is set to be presented in the Assembly on Friday.
According to top sources privy to CAG audit on health, the report is likely to expose the poor performance of the AAP government’s health department during Covid-19.
The CAG audit flags gross underutilization of funds during the Covid-19 pandemic. About Rs 582.84 crore of the total Rs 787.91 crore released by the government for tackling Covid were utilised.
“Rs 83.14 crore of the released Rs 119.85 crore for drugs and supplies, including PPE and masks, remained unutilised, ” the report highlighted, calling the inaction tantamount to criminal negligence.
Further puncturing holes in AAP’s boast of ultra-modern health services in the national capital, the CAG report finds that shortage of manpower remains a problem across many noted hospitals, including Lok Nayak hospital, Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya and more.
“The deficit in the cadres of nurses and paramedic staff is about 21 per cent and 38 per cent respectively, ” it said.
It further highlights that ICU services were not available in 14 hospitals, Blood Bank services were not available in 16, Oxygen services were not available in 8, Mortuary services were not available in 15, and Ambulance services were not available in 12 hospitals.
In a negative observation on the AAP government’s marquee Mohalla Clinic scheme, the CAG report finds that at least 21 Mohalla Clinics did not have toilets, 15 did not have power back-up, six did not have any table for check-up, and 12 units remained ‘inaccessible’ for physically challenged patients.
Before the start of House proceedings on Friday, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa claimed that the CAG report would unveil another massive scam, just like the liquor policy case.
"Today, another CAG report on Arvind Kejriwal’s scam will be tabled in the Delhi Assembly. This report will expose how Kejriwal looted Delhi under the guise of hospital and healthcare services. An additional Rs 350 crore was spent beyond the allocated budget, which was directly pocketed through corruption, " said Sirsa.
BJP leader Satish Upadhyay also criticised the AAP government, alleging large-scale financial mismanagement in the healthcare sector.
Speaking to IANS, Upadhyay said, "For the past eleven years, the AAP government has been involved in various scams. Earlier, the CAG’s liquor policy report was presented, but many reports were never tabled in the Assembly. Now, with the health sector report, it will be evident how AAP leaders were involved in financial misappropriation in hospitals, Mohalla Clinics, diagnostic labs, and medicine procurement."