Congress demands white paper on COVID-19 expenditure

Opposition Congress in Karnataka on Friday urged the government to bring out a "white paper" on the expenditure towards COVID-19 measures including the purchase of PPE kits, sanitizers and masks.

Addressing reporters here, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president Saleem Ahmed said the charges relating to misappropriation of funds for procuring PPE kits and other protective items should be enquired by the public accounts committee (PAC).

Ahmed said the state government has not yet responded to the Congress demand to announce a special package of Rs 50,000 crore for coronavirus relief measures on the lines of Telangana.

The Congress has been acting as a responsible opposition and supporting the governments actions to tackle the Covid-19 crisis, he said.

He also criticised the state governments "apathy" towards the plight of migrant labourers.

During the lockdown, the Congress had distributed 1.6 crore food packets, over 75 lakh grocery kits, 35 lakh masks and seven lakh sanitizers to the people, he said.