With the aim of lessening India’s Covid desperation, the 3,000 tons of foreign aid that landed in the country last month is a mountain of controversy today. At a time when almost every medical facility in the country is gasping for oxygen, medical equipment and drugs, the center has been stung by allegations of delay in providing aid.
The government has claimed that 24 different categories of medical items with a number of nearly 40 lakh pieces have been received en route to 86 medical facilities in 31 states and UTs. According to the center, 38 medical facilities across the country have already received the relief supplies.
Sources reported to India Today TV that 1,656 oxygen concentrators, 20 large oxygen concentrators, 965 fans, 350 large oxygen cylinders, plus bedside tables, BiPAP machines, PSA oxygen systems, pulse oximeters, flaviparivir and remdesivir drugs, PSA (coveralls, N-) 95 masks and Robes) have already been sent to states and institutions.
However, in a detailed note on the overall distribution method published by the Center, neither the Number of items delivered to states and institutions Nor was it listed which state or institution received how much.
India Today TV spoke to a few states to get the facts. A senior government official from Uttar Pradesh confirmed the arrival of medical equipment and other materials and said 1,500 oxygen concentrators, including those received as auxiliaries, and 5 cryogenic oxygen tankers have been received and some have already been put into use.
Similarly, the office of Gujarat Health Minister Nitin Patel confirmed that tranches of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, as well as other medical staples, have come to Ahmedabad from Delhi in the past three days. The Gujarat government has appointed knot officers to ensure rapid deployment of the equipment.
Sources in the Madhya Pradesh government also confirmed that the state has received both foreign and government aid.
Help from France reaches India.
In Bangalore, Karnataka Deputy CM Ashwathnarayan told India Today TV, “We are receiving aid and it is reaching us. It is humanitarian work that is going on.”
In Patna, a senior official said: “Bihar has already received three cryogenic oxygen tankers from the central government for transporting oxygen.”
AMBIGUITY PERSISTS
While the list of central government foreign aid recipients includes all states and UT, some states such as Rajasthan, Punjab and Jharkhand said they had no idea what medical devices were being sent from the center.
Senior officials in Rajasthan said they had not received an item or any information about the allocation from the center.
Jharkhand Health Minister Arun Singh told India Today TV, “The center has received a 1.25 lakh vial of remdesisvir injections. Jharkhand has been allocated 2,181 vials. So far, the state has received no other assistance.”
Interestingly, the Maharashtra Health Department claimed they had “received a call from customs about their shipment” but the ministry is unsure of what material / quantity was delivered to them.
While the center’s recipient list includes Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan government sources said the state “has not asked for anything and there is no suggestion that medical devices and supplies will be sent to them.”
Thiruvananthapuram DMO announced that it has requested antigen kits and PSA, which will be made available by the end of this week. However, it is unclear if it is part of the foreign aid that has arrived in India.
Similarly, the State Red Cross Society announced on Telangana India Today TV that 100 oxygen concentrators, 1 lakh community health care kits (mask, soap, disinfectant) and 10,000 PPE for volunteers are expected from the center by next week.
India Today TV has tried speaking to health ministry officials to find out why states have claimed to have no information about the shipment despite the center’s claims. There was no response from the Ministry of Health.
A senior official said, “The Ministry of Health is in contact with government agencies. It takes time to move the material across its length and width.”
A minister in the government said the government needs to find out who needs the help most. After the prioritization, the articles must be run over. The distribution controversy sends a bad signal to donors. “
MIDDLE CLAIMS ‘NO DELAYS’
In view of severe criticism of the alleged delays in the allocation medical assistance from foreign governments and private donorsThe center went into full swing on Tuesday.
In a note, the Department of Health and Family Welfare stated that there had been no delays and work on “allotment and distribution to states and UTs by the central and other health facilities that immediately started landing the items in India”.
CENTER’S SOP ON DISTRIBUTION
On May 2, the center said that a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for allocation and dispatch the foreign aid was issued by the Ministry of Health. States confirmed that foreign aid medical equipment arrived two to three days ago.
However, in the note on the allocation of aid, the government set out two main reasons for the gap between the date the aid was received and when it was received by the identified state institutions.
The fifth installment of aid from the US.
A rationalization process was used in the SOP, issued on May 2, to ensure that the limited amount of foreign aid was used to the full by allocating it to countries with high loads.
The Center believed that distributing the grant across a large number of states may not produce the desired results, resulting in small packages that cover long distances, high turnaround times, and possible waste of resources.
Initially, government aid was exempt from all taxes, but aid from non-profit organizations and donor groups has faced IGST. This was another reason for the clearance delay as it wasn’t clear who would pay the levy.
On Monday, the IGST, or the integrated tax on goods and services, was waived for all aid from private donors.
HUGE CHALLENGE OF THE COMPLEX MATRIX
Every foreign aid goes through a complex labyrinth of formalities. India Today TV spoke to senior officials from the Indian Red Cross Society, Customs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Niti Aayog and the Ministry of Health to find out how the arrival and distribution were worked out.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the hub agency for channeling aid offers from abroad and for coordination with foreign missions.
The Indian government has presented the missions and the Indian Red Cross Society with a wish list of the items most needed. The list is available to both government and private donor organizations abroad. Donors can choose from the list based on the technical and medical specifications established by the center.
The Red Cross then receives the delivery of the medical aid and hands it over to the HLL Lifecare run by the Ministry of Health. HLL is the customs agent for IRCS and the sales manager for the Ministry of Health.
The shipments are transported for distribution by HLL. For shipments arriving at military airports or for large items such as oxygen systems, the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) supports HLL.
After April 16, an allocation list with high-load states and districts was drawn up, depending on the local bottlenecks. And the broadcasts were made according to this list.
This assignment was made by a committee of officials from different departments.
This group meets practically every morning at 9:30 a.m. to clarify any questions that may arise. During the day all information from MEA and its decision by MoHFW as well as follow-up by Technical Advisor Dte. GHS, HLL and IRCS are carried out in a WhatsApp group.
That is not all. Under the CEO, NITI Aayog, there is another high-level committee consisting of Secretary Expenditure, MEA and representatives from Niti Aayog and MoHFW that oversees the entire operation.
A senior Red Cross official in Delhi told India Today TV that there is no stop for aid in a camp or deity. “There’s no place at the airport freight terminal to put things on hold. Initially, the first and second day of the arrival of the aid was a trickle, so that many items were distributed on site. “
Russian planes bring medical equipment to India.
The Red Cross staff said: “We are not only dealing with state aid, but 20 to 30 offers are checked every day and help is given in small and large amounts. This also includes private individuals and groups.”
According to sources from the Ministry of Health, MEA and the Indian Red Cross give the government advance information about what aid is on the way, on which aircraft and who will be handling it after landing.
CBIC waives customs duties
Customs receives prior notification of the arrival of consignments from the Red Cross and the MEA. A senior customs official said, “For the past week, state aid clears take 30 to 40 minutes to clear and the receiving agencies can take them away.”
There is a catch, however. Part of the aid flies in with normal cargo. Every time such a flight lands, customs must require that materials related to Covid be separated and counted so that they are cleared first while regular cargo has to wait.
Then the next level of administrative handover begins. A Red Cross official who handled the shipments said: “In many cases, the members of the embassy or high commission who sent the aid are present at the airport with the MEA teams to take care of the paperwork . “
एक टिप्पणी भेजें