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‘Fake news’: ICMR responds to Congress leader Udit Raj’s tweet on Covid-19 kit
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) responded to Congress leader Udit Raj’s tweet over the price of kits for testing the coronavirus disease.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) responded to Congress leader Udit Raj’s tweet over the price of kits for testing the coronavirus disease.
The top medical body also tweeted the contact details of its officials, in case, there anyone is ready to supply the kit at a lower price.
“This is Fake News. Price range approved by ICMR is Rs 740-1150 for RT-PCR and ₹528-795 for Rapid Test. No test has been procured at Rs 4500. Any Indian company wanting to supply at lower rates is welcome to contact ICMR or Ms Anu Nagar, JS Health Research(011-23736222),” ICMR tweeted.
Udit Raj had tweeted a screenshot of a tweet on Sunday, which claimed that the Union government granted the tender for coronavirus testing kits to a Gujarat-based company at the price of Rs 4500 per kit when the same was being offered to it by 17 other companies at the price of Rs 500.
“This is being circulated on social media. It is difficult to ascertain the truth,” Raj had posted.
Several other Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have also targeted the central government over the purchase of these testing kits.
Congress leader Ahmed Patel said the antibody test kits were being bought for Rs 600 per piece by ICMR even though they were being imported for Rs 245 each. He tweeted that no one should profit at the expense of the poor in the midst of a pandemic.
After that, Rahul Gandhi alleged some people were indulging in profiteering while supplying rapid test kits for Covid-19 to the government and demanded that the Prime Minister take strict immediate action against them.
Their comments came after Delhi High Court directed that these kits must be sold at Rs 400. The court said that a profit of 61% on the original price was more than sufficient, especially when the country was going through an unprecedented medical crisis affecting people and the economy.
