The Centre has agreed to provide ₹700 crore as COVID-19 assistance to the Union Territory, Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy said.
The assurance to this effect came from Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan during a meeting in Delhi, he said.
“We presented a strong case for Central aid, to the tune of ₹700 crore, to Puducherry, for managing the ongoing pandemic,” said Mr. Narayanasamy.
He had met Mr. Vardhan along with Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao and Puducherry MP V. Vaithilingam.
The Health Minister agreed to the demand and promised to release the allocation soon, Mr. Narayanasamy said.
Pointing out that the Centre had earmarked only ₹3 crore for Puducherry in April, the Chief Minister said the U.T. required more funds, especially due to the revenue shortfalls in the wake of COVID-19.
The assistance from the Centre would be spent on ramping up health infrastructure,…
