Shimla: The state has received over Rs. 85 crores donations in the HP Covid-19 State Disaster Response fund (SDMA).
As per an official statement released on Thursday, till April 26, 2021, contributions of Rs. 85,30,54,095 have been received in the Covid-19 State Disaster Response fund.
Out of which Rs.66,28,37,282 has been released to various districts and departments during this period,” the statement further read.
The Covid funds were used for frontline workers of different departments engaged in a fight against Covid-19, Personal Protection Equipment Kits were purchased. A total 20.90 crore was released to different departments and Deputy Commissioners for the purchase of PPE kits and other safety equipments. This includes Rs. 12 crore to Health Department, 5.25 crore to Deputy Commissioners, rupees. 2 crore to HP Police Department, rupees one crore to Municipal Corporation Shimla, Rs. 40 lakh to HP Home Guard and Civil Defence, Rs. 20 lakh to Animal Husbandry Department and rupees five lakh to Chief Fire Officer, HP was given.
For providing an incentive to ASHA workers during Corona period Rs. 9,55,68,000 were given to National Health Mission, HP and Rs. 6,64,30,000 were provided to Health Department for the procurement of MakeShift Hospital at Mandi. Thousands of Himachali residents were stranded in Delhi and Chandigarh for which SDMA gave Rs. 10 lakh to Himachal Bhawan Chandigarh and rupees five lakh to Himachal Bhawan Delhi for making lodging and other arrangements for these persons.
Covid funds were also used to bring back stranded persons of Himachal Pradesh in different parts of the country through buses, trains and flights for which SDMA released Rs. 13,08,22,425 to different government departments, agencies and individuals. These include Rs. 8.05 crore to Himachal Road Transport Corporation, Rs. 4,76,67,280 to different zones of Indian Railways, Rs. 7,71,719 to Commissioner, Corporation of Chennai for transportation through trains, 1,89,000 to a bus operator of Dehradun for transportation of stranded persons from the North States, Rs. 49,940 to Ambassador Tours Shimla for transportation of stranded persons by air and Rs. 34,100 as ticket fare of 31 persons from Thiruvanthapuram to Una.
For the purpose of deployment of Home Guards, Rs. 10,88,83,398 were given to Director General of Police, Rs. 23,40,000 to DC Chamba, Rs. 16,50,000 to DC Kinnaur and Rs. 10,27,000 to DC Kullu. For the purchase of sanitizer etc., Rs. 1,45,04,185 were given to State Election Commission, Rs. 14 lakh to Secretariat Administration Department and Rs. 20 lakh to Municipal Corporation, Dharamshala.
Besides this, bus service was provided to the people for quarantine centers and back homes after completion of quarantine period. For this purpose, Rs. 50 lakh was given to Deputy Commissioner Chamba. Rs. five crore was given to HRTC for sanitization of buses and bus stands of the State and Rs. five lakh to Ayurveda Department for the purchase of immunity booster.
In a wake of Covid-19 pandemic, the State government had created HP SDMA Covid-19 State Disaster Response Fund for facilitating voluntary contributions to fight COVID-19 pandemic. The contributors include the organizations, industrialists, businessmen, employees and individuals.
