NPF accuses Nagaland government of dodging its pertinent questions

Dimapur, June 16 (EMN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) on Wednesday accused the PDA government of repeatedly attempting “to dodge direct and pertinent questions put up by the NPF Legislature Wing and the NPF central office”, in contrary to its claim of running an “accountable and transparent” government.

Expressing its disappointment, the party issued a press communiqué asking the government if the opposition party’s queries deserve no answers.

The NPF stated that many families had lost their near and dear ones in the second wave of the pandemic but the government “remains nonchalant of the plight and struggle of the people”.

It also accused the government of not taking action even after it had pointed out the “absence of doctors and nurses” at community health centres and primary health centres as well as shortage of basic medical facilities in the districts hospitals and manpower issues in many health centres.

“Furthermore, the act of providing machineries for hospitals but having no technical personnel on the ground to run those machines is self-defeating in itself. Immediate posting of doctors and nurses and also technical persons to the health centres should be taken up on priority as without them, an empty hospital cannot help the people in their fight against this pandemic,” read the press release.

It also stated that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had directed to utilise 60% of the grants received under State Disaster Response Fund to provide relief to Covid patients and to provide ex-gratia to the families of the victims but “nothing on the ground is being implemented”.

“The PDA government has also failed to answer with clarity as to how the 20% pro-rata cut from the entire non-developmental fund has been utilised. Whereas the pro-rata cut was initially for purchase of vaccine, in their clarification it is seen that from the estimated (INR) 47.69 crore saved from 20% pro-rata cut, only (INR) 7.45 crore have been spent on procuring vaccine,” it stated.

The party also claimed that the revenue generated from Covid cess on petroleum products should exceed the government’s figure of INR 13.64 crore “by more than 100 percent”.

While maintaining that the party had no “agenda to keep pointing fingers at the ruling party for the sake of opposing” but has serious concern for the general public. It went on to claim that the “opposition members have never been taken on board in any of the decision making” on matters related to the pandemic despite stating that “the ruling bench and the opposition should work in unity during this unprecedented trying times”.