The State Health and Family Welfare Department has so far incurred expenses of ₹205 crore towards handling the COVID-19 pandemic, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai informed the Karnataka Legislative Council on Thursday.
Apart from this, ₹108.75 crore has been spent on salaries, incentives, and risk allowances paid to employees. During the lockdown period, the State had distributed additional 5 kg of rice to eligible families under PDS and had spent ₹711.62 crore towards this, the Minister said.
Replying to members during a discussion on supplementary estimates aggregating to ₹3,320.4 crore, the Minister said the Health Department had spent ₹205 crore on procuring equipment, testing kits, and other required infrastructure apart from treating and handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
The supplementary estimates include all these expenses, he said, urging the members to allow passage of the Supplementary Estimates-Second Instalment. After a nearly three-hour discussion, the estimates were approved by the Council.
