Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday, 27 April alleged that some people were indulging in profiteering while supplying rapid test kits for COVID-19 to the government and demanded that the Prime Minister take strict immediate action against them.
The Congress cited media reports about rapid test kits for COVID-19 being sold at around 150 per cent profits to the government and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fix responsibility for the same.
"When the entire country is fighting against the COVID-19 disaster, some people are still profiteering. One detests and feels ashamed of such a corrupt mindset. We demand from the prime minister strict action against these profiteers. The country will never pardon them," he said in a tweet in Hindi.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said it was “shameful and inhuman” that people were supplying test kits bought for Rs 225 at Rs 600 to the state exchequer.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said it was "shameful and inhuman" that people were supplying test kits bought for Rs 225 at Rs 600 to the state exchequer.
"Corruption in Corona Testing Kits OR Profiteering by duping the Exchequer. Import Price of 1 Testing Kit= Rs 225! Purchase Price of Testing Kit= Rs 600! Profit Margin = 166.66 pc! Shameful and Inhuman! Will PM fix responsibility," he said on Twitter.
The Congress also demanded that the government should make public details of all purchases made in the last one month to fight COVID-19, alleging that huge profiteering was being made at this time of crisis.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the government should ensure that huge profiteering in procurement of equipment for fighting COVID-19 be stopped immediately.
"There seems to be absolute anarchy in procurement of equipment for fighting COVID-19," he said at a press conference via video conferencing.
"We would like to demand from the Health Ministry and the government to make public all procurements made with regard to equipment to fight COVID-19 for testing, PPEs and ventilators. All those transactions must be transparently placed in public domain," he said.
Referring to a company engaged in supply of testing kits, he alleged that kits purchased at Rs 245 were being sold by the same company to ICMR at Rs 600 each while the same to Tamil Nadu government were sold at Rs 400 each.
He said the matter came to light in a petition before the Delhi High Court by a company supplying such equipment. "This is an extremely serious matter which hurts the fight of India against COVID-19," he said, adding, that "our country's resources are scarce and we have to optimise the resources and not allow companies to make arbitrage of over 60 per cent in these transactions."
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