Union Law, Justice, Communications and IT minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad could visit two premier hospitals in the state capital after receving permission from the district magistrate of Patna. He distributed oxygen concentrators, cylinders, PPE kits and surgical masks at Patna Medical College Hospital and Guru Govind Singh Hospital, after getting permission from the DM.
Since May 23, there is ban on the movement of the ministers all over the state .They are disallowed to visit even their constitutencies and districts where they are guardian in-charge ministers.
On May 23,additional chief secretary of Cabinet secretariat, Sanjay Kumar had issued instructions to the ministers directing them not to visit fields as their visits disturbed civil administration in Covid control.
Restrictions applied to Ravishankar Prasad too who represents Patna Saheb in Lok Sabha reached here last night and after getting special permission of the administration, he visited two hospitals only to distribute Covid control and management equipments. He did not visit the wards as it was prohibited but held meetings with the superintendents of the two hospitals.
Dr IS Thakur, superintednet of PMCH told the union minister "Now only 17 Covid patients are admitted". Ravishankar said so far two crore people have been vaccinated against Corona in Bihar and assured by the year end, all citizens would get vaccinations.
He handed over 100 oxygen cylinders to Bihar medical Services Corporation LImited's Fatuwah godown in his constitutency. These cylinders have been gifted by Telecommunications Consultants India Limited under corporate social responsibility scheme.
Cabinet secretariat had banned movement of ministers after the science and technology minister, Sumit Kumar Singh visited three Covid centres and health centres in his constitutency in Jamui on May 22 and found large-scale irregularities.
Since the second wave of Corona started, ministers from BJP quota were found active in their constitutencies and arranging better medical facilities. JDU ministers, including chief minister Nitish Kumar confined themselves in their official bungalows only inviting criticism from the people. Even health minister, Mangal Pandey and union minister of state for health, Ashwini Kumar Chaubey, both from BJP were active in their areas ,visiting hospitals ,but none of the JDU leaders were seen in the fields.
This was for the first time today that the May 23 restrictions were relaxed for the union minister today who was allowed to visit two hospitals on Ashok Rajpath only to hand over equipment and kits and not interact with the voters.
BJP's MLA from Kumhrarar,Arun Kumar Sinha,who was active in different parts of the state capital in sanitising the residential colonies was also told to remain indoors since May 23 ban was imposed.
State BJP president,Sanjay jaiswal,said he would request the chief minister to lift restrictions on the ministers.
A senior minister of BJP claimed in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh,chief minister,Yogi Adityanath visited 52 districts during Corona and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart,Shivraj Singh Chauhan too is active in the field,but in Bihar,entire job of monitoring has been entrusted to the selected few bureaucrats and even Nitish Kumar was confined in his official bungalow at Anney Marg.
