Covid scam panel recommends action against deputy commissioners of 3 Karnataka districts and BBMP officials

While the four zones procured equipment and medicine worth Rs 184.62 crore during the period, irregularities worth Rs 113.09 crore were found in almost two-thirds (61.31 percent) of them.

Along with a probe by Lokayukta or other investigating agencies, Justice D’Cunha has also recommended action to recover losses suffered owing to the irregularities. Recovering additional amounts from companies that benefited from the scam is also among the key recommendations.

Similar punishment should be initiated against the deputy commissioners, district health officer and other officials of the three districts, the commission has said. In Bengaluru Rural, the commission flagged procurements worth Rs 27.83 crore in the files of purchases worth Rs 45.55 crore. In Koppal and Gadag districts, there were irregularities to the tune of Rs 5.04 crore and Rs 11.56 crore, respectively, against purchases worth Rs 23.71 crore and Rs 35.13 crore.

The commission has recommended action against the officials for violation of norms prescribed in the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act, procedural lapses, improper management of files related to the purchases, breaking rules to aid a few companies while procuring medical equipment, and differences in expenses recorded over actual expenses. There was also a mismatch in the number of files related to several purchases, the commission noted. “Whether the files are hidden or expenditure statements altered is unclear,” it said.

The first report of the commission, formed in August 2023, was submitted in August 2024. The government has extended its tenure till the end of 2025.

The first report recommended action against former chief minister B S Yediyurappa and former health and family welfare minister B Sriramulu, among others. Huge discrepancies were reported in the BJP government’s purchases of ventilators, PPE kits and medicines, among other things, in the peak Covid years of 2020 and 2021. The Congress government has formed a Special Investigation Team to frame charges in connection with the Covid procurements scam.