Kerala: CAG Report Flags 'PPE Kit Scam' During COVID-19, Opposition Targets CM Vijayan

Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan accused CM Vijayan and former Health Minister KK Shailaja of being directly involved in the procurement scam.

Kerala was the first state in India to report a COVID-19 case in March 2020, and its initial pandemic response was widely praised.

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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) recent report, tabled in Kerala Legislative Assembly, has exposed alleged irregularities in the procurement of PPE kits during the COVID-19 pandemic under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The report revealed that the Kerala government purchased PPE kits at an inflated price of Rs 1,550 each despite availability at Rs 550. This reportedly resulted in an alleged loss of Rs 10 crore.

Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan accused CM Vijayan and former Health Minister KK Shailaja of being directly involved in the procurement scam. Satheesan said, "We had brought up this issue already and now the CAG has endorsed this massive scam. We will take this up as we did back then. At present there is a case to this effect going on. Shailaja cleared the order for PPE kits after getting the green signal from Vijayan." 

"Shailaja herself in the past had admitted that the order was given on Vijayan's directions. Importantly, a 100 per cent advance was paid to San Pharma. What we raised in 2021-22 has now been proved right by the CAG," added Satheesan, as per a report on IANS.

The opposition leader emphasised that the opposition would continue pursuing the matter, as a case is already underway.

The CPI(M), however, dismissed the allegations, calling them politically motivated. Party leader K Anilkumar accused the Centre of using institutions like the CAG to target the Kerala government. "This is just another example of political witch-hunting against the CPI-M government," he said.

Health expert and former WHO official SS Lal criticised the Kerala government’s actions, terming it "blatant daylight robbery." Lal, who contested the 2021 Assembly polls as a Congress candidate, remarked, "The Health Department has become a gold mine for those involved in procurement. The CAG has come out correctly against Kerala government."

Kerala was the first state in India to report a COVID-19 case in March 2020 and its initial pandemic response was widely praised. However, this revelation casts a shadow over the government’s handling of resources during the crisis.