Foreign aid should reach people, not remain boxed up: HC
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said that foreign aid, in terms of medical equipment, is meant for people's benefit who are suffering from COVID-19 and not meant to be kept in boxes at some institution to become "junk." "When the government has received it as medical aid, it's meant to help the people," a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said.
Concerns have been raised regarding the manner of distribution
"The medical aid received as foreign aid is not meant to remain in boxes somewhere and become junk," Justices Sanghi and Palli said. The observation came after the amicus curiae and senior advocate Rajshekhar Rao expressed concerns regarding the manner of distribution of the medical equipment received as aid by the Centre and the Delhi government.
Aid might not reach the right quarters
He said that Lady Hardinge Medical College received 260 oxygen concentrators when it did not require that much. He said, "Random and arbitrary distribution of the equipment may lead to a situation where it is not sent to the right quarters which actually need it."
Consider distributing equipment to voluntary organizations: HC
The bench said the concern expressed by the amicus "deserves consideration" and directed the Centre to verify the position on the ground with regard to the distribution of foreign aid to various hospitals. The court also asked the Centre to consider distributing the equipment to voluntary organizations, like Gurdwaras and NGOs, who are rendering public service.
Medical equipment should be made available to the people: Bench
"One must not forget that the equipment received as foreign aid is meant for the people and, therefore, it should be available to them," the bench said. "No purpose would be served by them remaining stacked in boxes in some institution and not being available for use where they are most required," it further added.
India's total COVID-19 tally has reached 2.06 crore
Toward the conclusion of the first half of the day's hearing, the central government told the bench that it will provide to the amicus the standard operating procedure (SOP) evolved by it for distribution of the foreign aid. Meanwhile, India reported a total of 2,06,65,148 COVID-19 cases till Wednesday morning. The death toll has reached 2,26,188, according to the Union Health Ministry
