Nitish Kumar calls out PM Modi, blames Centre for not delivering enough PPE kits, N-95 masks

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday while speaking at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video conference had a long list of complaints. The Bihar chief minister while talking to PM Modi highlighted how government failed to deliver adequate supply of PPE kit, N95 masks and ventilators.

Ruing the shortfall of protective gear for medical personnel, and other facilities sought by the state, he said as against a requisition of five lakh PPE kits, we have received only 4,000 till date.

Likewise, only 50,000 N95 masks have been supplied though we have sought 10 lakhs. The number of RNA extraction kits made available stands at just 250 though we require 10,000, and we are yet to be provided with 100 additional ventilators which we need for effective treatment of infected patients, he added.

Drawing the Prime Ministers attention to the impending economic crisis, Kumar suggested that the fiscal deficit on which a cap of 3 per cent of GDP has been placed by the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act be raised to “4 per cent or more”. He recalled that in 2009-10 when there was a global economic meltdown, fiscal deficit was raised from 3 to 4 per cent, and again from 3.38 per cent to 3.5 per cent in the next fiscal.

Kumar asserted that the crisis resulting from the return of a huge number of migrants from Delhi over the weekend has been managed by his government despite a resource crunch, and all such returnees were being provided with food, shelter and medical care under proper quarantine.

A total of 1,74,470 people, who have come to Bihar in recent times from outside the state, have been identified and are being kept in quarantine. These include 12,051 foreign nationals, Kumar said.

He also informed the Prime Minister that a total of 24 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Bihar so far, which include one death before the patients test results came out.

Two have recovered so far while the deceased ended up infecting 11 people who came in contact with him at his home or at hospitals. Later in the day, the chief minister launched a drive to provide financial assistance of Rs 1000 to each ration card holding family in the state, through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system, by a click of the mouse. A sum of Rs 184.08 crore was transferred, on the inaugural day of the drive, into the bank accounts of about 18.40 lakh people. The chief minister directed that all remaining beneficiaries be extended the benefit at the earliest.-Agencies