UP panchayati raj officer suspended over irregularities in medical equipment purchase

An official order issued by Manoj Kumar Singh, additional chief secretary Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department, said, "Following the outbreak of COVID-19, instructions were issued by the state government to village panchayats for purchase of pulse oximeters and IR thermometers for better screening and surveillance.

The district panchayati raj officer of Sultanpur has been suspended over anomalies in the purchase of pulse oximeters and infrared thermometers for COVID-19 screening and surveillance, a senior officer said on Monday. An official order issued by Manoj Kumar Singh, additional chief secretary Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department, said, "Following the outbreak of COVID-19, instructions were issued by the state government to village panchayats for purchase of pulse oximeters and IR thermometers for better screening and surveillance. The government had informed that both the equipment combined are available in the market at Rs 2,800." However, despite the orders of the state government, Krishna Kumar Singh Chauhan, the district panchayati raj officer of Sultanpur, tried to make the purchase process a centralised one, and a bill of Rs 9,950 was presented, the order said.

When contacted, Singh told PTI that 900 units of pulse oximeter and IR thermometers were bought. The deputy director (panchayat), Varanasi division, has been asked to probe the allegations levelled against Chauhan, the order said.