Maharashtra facing step-motherly treatment from Centre: Congress on 'biased' distribution of medical equipment

'Gujarat got 9,623 numbers of N95 masks per thousand Covid-19 patients as compared to Maharashtra, which got 1,560 masks per thousand patients'

Amid a raging war-of-words between the Centre and Maharashtra over the volume of Covid-19 vaccine supplies to the worst-affected state, the Congress – a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government – has alleged bias in the distribution of PPE kits, N95 masks, and ventilators.

“Maharashtra has the highest Covid-19 caseload, but we are facing step-motherly treatment from the Centre,” senior Congressman and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said.

“The bias is not only limited to the distribution of vaccines as can be seen in a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, in which the Government of India has given details of the quantities of critical medical equipment supplied to each state as of 10 February 2021. If we project the total quantity supplied to each state over the patient caseload we get a shocking picture,” he added.

“Gujarat got 9,623 N95 masks per thousand Covid-19 patients as compared to Maharashtra, which got 1,560 masks per thousand patients. Even Uttar Pradesh got 3,916 N95 masks, more than twice that of Maharashtra,” he said.

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“In PPE kits, Gujarat got 4,951 kits per thousand, Uttar Pradesh got 2,446 kits while Maharashtra got just 223 kits. In ventilators, Gujarat was given 13 ventilators per 1000 patients, UP got 7 while Maharashtra got only 2 ventilators per thousand Covid-19 patients. Kerala got even less than Maharashtra on a per thousand patient basis,” said Chavan, a former minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office in 2009.

“As per the Lok Sabha reply, in all the categories, Gujarat was given the lion's share of supply of medical equipment which is disproportionate to caseload. What is this if not discrimination on the basis of politics,” he said

“The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) seems to be forgetting that he is the PM of the entire country and not just Gujarat, UP and other BJP ruled states,” he said.