2 top Tripura officials removed for graft in buying medical kits

The Tripura government on Friday night removed Health Secretary and National Health Mission's Director from their posts after allegations of irregularities in purchasing medical kits, protective gears, medicines, a minister said on Friday night.

Law and Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath while talking to the media said that a two-member committee -- Industries and Commerce Department Secretary Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao and Finance Secretary Tanusree Deb Barma - would look into the allegations.

He said that Health Secretary Debashish Basu and National Health Mission's Tripura Mission Director Aditi Majumder have been removed from their posts after allegations of irregularities in purchasing medical kits, protective gears, medicines and providing substandard foods to the novel coronavirus patients in the hospitals.

The Minister said the swab samples of second coronavirus patient of Tripura have been found negative in two consecutive tests on Thursday and Friday.

The patient, a 32-year-old Tripura State Rifles jawan and a resident of Uttar Pradesh, would be discharged from the government-run Govind Ballabh Pant Medical College and Hospital on Saturday.

According to the minister, the swab samples of 11 people, who recently came in close contact with the Bangladeshi nationals, also tested negative.

According to the local media reports, at least six Bangladeshi nationals after staying for a few weeks in Tripura had returned to their country on April 7 and then two of them tested positive for corona in the neighbouring country.
-IANS