Rs 887.5cr Covid funds unspent: Ajit

Nagpur: Most district administrations were apparently casual about battling the Covid-19 pandemic, which is evident from the fact that Rs 887.50 crore sanctioned for Covid schemes in 2020-21 remains unspent. This was revealed to the media by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Monday.

“I don’t want the funds to lapse and hence, have asked all the guardian ministers and district collectors to spend the remaining amount on upgrade of rural government hospitals and primary health centres (PHCs),” said Pawar.

The minister was in the city to finalize the annual plans of the six districts in the division. However, the plans of three districts could not be finalized as the guardian ministers couldn’t attend the meeting on Monday. Pawar will hold a separate meeting for such districts in Mumbai soon.

BJP MLAs and MLCs were raising slogans against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government outside the divisional commissioner office building when Pawar was finalizing the district annual plans. He told the divisional commissioner to ask the BJP leaders to come and meet him.

“They claimed that Nagpur is being deliberately starved of funds, especially by the urban development department. I told them that I will hold a meeting in Mumbai and will invite all of them along with the three ministers from the district. If there is some substance in their allegation then remedial measures would be taken,” said the DCM.

Pawar, however, said he could not give extra funds to Nagpur district by depriving other districts of their share. “This had been done by the previous finance minister. Still, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray sanctioned Rs 100 crore as a special fund for Nagpur as it is the second capital of the state,” he added.

The minister has introduced the concept of challenge fund from 2021-22. The districts where the revenue department performs well will be given an additional Rs 50 crore. “District planning committee (DPC) meetings should be held regularly, allocated funds should be utilized to the maximum extent possible, SC/ST funds must be spent fully, etc. are the parameters of performance,” said Pawar.