Pawan Chamling demands White Paper from government on COVID relief fund utilization

Amid surge in new COVID-19 infections in China, politics in Sikkim now seems to be centered around the pandemic which has once again sent alarm bells ringing across the country. Escalating his attack on Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, former Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling today sought response from the state government on utilisation of funds meant for COVID relief.

In this context, Pawan Kumar Chamling demanded that the Chief Minister issue a ‘White Paper’ mentioning all details of COVID relief fund utilisation. Chamling said that the SDF government led by him had done so in terms of the 2011 Earthquake relief fund.

Chamling alleged that the affected people were deprived of COVID relief funds under the SKM government which was allotted by the Centre.
“Every time we speak about Covid fund mismanagement, the SKM government replies with allegations of corruption in the 2011 earthquake relief package under the SDF government. Entire people of Sikkim knows that they did not get a single paisa from the Covid relief package given to the SKM government, ” Chamling alleged.

“I showed the accounts of earthquake funds, the Chief Minister should also show accounts of the Covid funds. I gave a white paper, he should also give a white paper. Let the people of Sikkim know where the Covid funds went,” Chamling added.

Speaking at a SDF general body meeting, Chamling claimed that the SKM is well versed with the fact that the then SDF government had utilised the 2011 earthquake funds, distributed to the people and did rehabilitation work.

It may be mentioned that the BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron has become a hot topic. This is the Covid variant responsible for the current surge in COVID-19 infections in China. India too has reported four cases – three in Gujarat and one in Odisha.