Punjab: Health Secretary Ajoy Sharma’s transfer draws flak from Opposition

Chandigarh, January 22

On the ‘controversial’ transfer of Health Secretary Ajoy Sharma, the Opposition has cornered the government for allegedly wasting money on publicity in other states.

On Friday, the government had transferred Sharma after he had refused to give the administrative approval for spending Rs 30 crore on Aam Aadmi Clinics on which government had just spent Rs 10 crore.

In a tweet, former Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal said patients were being compelled to bring syringes to get injections administered in government hospitals, but the Mann government was hell-bent on wasting Rs 30 crore on publicising “useless” mohalla clinics. “And if an officer objects to this sheer wastage, he is shunted out,” he said.

Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira tweeted, “This is Delhi health model: Spend thrice the amount of project on publicity! Bhagwant Mann shunts out the Health Secretary merely because he refused to sanction Rs 30 crore for publicity of mohalla clinics! They’ve ruined our rural dispensaries for the theatrics and ego of Arvind Kejriwal.”

Former Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh said the “blatant plundering” of the government funds to showcase Aam Aadmi Clinics in other states was highly outrageous and a despicable move of the Health Department.

“As a matter of fact, it is nothing but a propaganda mission of AAP. Why plunder Punjab’s public treasury to showcase Aam Aadmi Clinics in other states, why Punjab be coerced to bear propaganda expenses of AAP?” he said.— TNS

Absurd and unreasonable

It is absolutely absurd and unreasonable that the scheme of launching 400 Aam Aadmi Clinics cost the state exchequer Rs 10 cr only, whereas the publicity of the programme in other states will cost Rs 30 cr. — Bir Devinder Singh, ex-dy speaker