Pune: PMC says Central Government didn’t give a single penny for fighting COVID19
Pune, June 10, 2020: Though the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has majority in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), BJP-led government at the Centre has not given a single penny to help PMC during the COVID-19 pandemic, stated PMC’s reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application.
City-based RTI activist Ashish Mane had filed an RTI application, and sought details of funds used by PMC so far to tackle the Coronavirus menace.
PMC Assistant Medical Officer Dr Anjali Sabane furnished information in detail. As per the reply to the RTI query, PMC has spent around Rs 5.7 crore since March 22, 2020 till date, in which the State government has contributed Rs 3 Crore. But, the city administration hasn’t received any funds from the Central Government for COVID-19 related work.
PMC has spent the funds on purchasing sanitisers, N-95 masks, triple-layered masks for free distribution in containment areas, personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, sodium hypochlorite solution, medicines, medical equipment, etc.
‘Soft corner’ for Central Government: Earlier, BJP Corporators in the city had donated their honorariums of the month of March to Prime Minister’s PM CARES fund, while Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Corporators had given their honorariums to the Maharashtra State Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
After the formation of the Mahavikas Aghadi by the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, a rift has developed between the erstwhile saffron alliance partners, BJP and the Shiv Sena. The differences have been visible even on the COVID-19 relief fund issue.
