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Mandaviya announces ₹267-cr aid for Kerala
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Union minister expressed satisfaction over the ongoing containment and mitigation measures of the state.
Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday announced a special package of ₹267.35 crore for Kerala to strengthen its health infrastructure to fight the second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Having rushed to the state in the wake of high caseload, Mandaviya met Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state health minister Veena George and officials in the state capital on Monday.
“We will provide all possible help to the state. Besides this amount, ₹1 crore will be made available to each district to create a medicine pool. The Centre will also ensure creation of a centre of excellence that caters to telemedicine facilities in every district,” the minister tweeted after his marathon talks with the CM and others. He added the state will be given top priority in allocation of vaccine.
In another tweet, the Union minister, said, “Under the visionary leadership of PM @NarendraModi ji, Central Government has assured all possible help to Kerala, including providing vaccines to the State.”
“Had an intensive meeting with the CM and health minister and officials. The Centre is committed to help the state. For prioritising health of children, paediatric ICU will be established in each district hospitals with 10 kilo-litre liquid oxygen storage tank facility,” Mandaviya tweeted.
Later a senior state health official, who did not wish to be named, said talks were fruitful and the central minister was studious and aware of problems being faced by the state. The state also raised its long-pending demand for an AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Science) in the state, the official added.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Union minister expressed satisfaction over the ongoing containment and mitigation measures of the state. “We told we need enough doses to inoculate maximum people in coming months. We sought 1.11 crore doses. The minister assured us the Centre will try its best to send enough vaccines,” the CM said in a Facebook post.
For more than a month, the state has been reporting half of the total caseload of the country and its test positivity rate is four times higher than the national average. With only 3% of the nation’s population, the state has been contributing more than half of the total cases for the past few weeks and its case trajectory has baffled medical experts and others. Pointing out that the Union government rushed an experts’ team to the state in the first week of August and it visited eight districts during the week-long tour, minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan, who is from the state, said two days back that the Centre was really worried over the pandemic situation in the state.
Meanwhile, the state reported 12,294 cases on Monday with a TPR of 14.03% after 87,578 samples were tested, according to the state health ministry. It also reported 142 deaths, taking the to 18,743 in the state. Malappuram remained top on the Covid-19 chart with 1,693 new cases. The active caseload in the state stood at 1,72, 239. In the last 24 hours, the country reported 32,937 cases with TPR less than 3%. The Kerala government is keeping a high vigil during the ongoing Onam festivities and many experts have warned another surge after the festival.
With inputs from Delhi
