AP govt releases over Rs 140 crore to fight COVID-19

The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday released Rs 141.46 crore to combat COVID-19.

The amount would be spent on Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness to eradicate the disease under the National Health Mission, Finance Special Secretary K V V Satyanarayana said in an order.

Also, a sum of Rs 18.99 crore has been released through the Disaster Management Department for procurement of disinfectants and personal protection equipment for sanitary workers and also for containment of the contagion in rural local bodies.

The Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department had sought Rs 102 crore for the purpose as per the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs but given the resource crunch being faced by the state government, the Finance Department released only Rs 18.99 crore, official sources said.

The balance amount will probably be released at a later date, the sources added.