Responding to the ruling PDA’s rejoinder, that the opposition was “hurling allegation without any authenticity”; NPF Tuesday said it was “nothing but an attempt to divert the attention of the general public.”
NPF through its press bureau said its legislature wing had raised pertinent issues with facts and figures to allege misuse of fund by the PDA government on the pretext of tackling Covid-19. NPF said that the government had no answers and was evading the questions. The party said it had also raised some vital issues with data obtained from various district hospitals, CHCs and PHCs on the shortfall of the basic medical necessity in government-run hospitals.
NPF said that whatever the party and the legislature wing had raised till date in the public domain, were all supported with facts and figures. It maintained that the PDA government cannot run away without answering them, “as the matter pertains to public interest and not NPF interest.”
It also asserted that the PDA government was yet to answer to five questions posed by NPF particularly as to on what ground the government will spend Rs. 30 crore on CIHSR, a private hospital, when almost all government hospitals were lacking basic facilities? NPF also claimed that other states were providing ex-gratia to the family of the deceased and also additional grants to the families of those affected besides the central grant.
With Covid mortality rate on the rise in Nagaland, NPF asked what arrangement or payment has the PDA done for the people so far from its own resources or the central grant that the state received? It pointed out that the Home Ministry issued clear directive to the state government to utilise 50% from SDRF disaster management. It therefore asked, where was 50% utilised and disappeared when no money reached the people suffering from Covid?
Justifying the use of the phrase “starvation war”, NPF said there was possibility of such situation because the PDA government has not provided relief measures to the poor and needy including the daily wage earner during the lockdown and post lockdown.
Taking exception to PDA asking NPF to file RTI if it wanted information, the party said it had all the required information and data and did not require any advice from the PDA on how to extract information. In the light of the above, the NPF reiterated that the PDA government should answer its queries rather than shying away from its responsibility.