Union Finance Ministry says talk to Home Ministry; islands’ administration had flagged acute shortage and surging prices of COVID-19 supplies
Following a plea from the Andaman and Nicobar islands’ administration to relax the ₹10-crore limit on the Lieutenant Governor’s power to authorise direct emergency purchases amid an acute shortage of essential COVID-19 supplies, the Union Finance Ministry has asked the Port Blair top brass to take up the issue with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Finance Ministry has, however, granted a one-month relaxation to the islands’ administration from several rules pertaining to procurement in the General Financial Rules, stating that procurement delays amid an unprecedented national health emergency would result in loss of lives of citizens.
Last Thursday, the Chief Secretary of the Andaman & Nicobar Administration had written to the Centre about ‘an acute shortage of essential COVID-19-related supplies, particularly of medical…