Chandigarh spent Rs 55L on Covid ads

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 6

The Chandigarh Administration has incurred an expenditure of Rs 55 lakh against the Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package for the year 2020-21, as per the financial management report.

Punjab incurred a whopping Rs 20.11 crore on Covid related advertisements, which is the third highest after Maharashtra (Rs 26 crore) and Kerala (Rs 22 crore). Haryana spent Rs 3.71 crore, while Delhi spent over Rs 1 crore from the Central fund.

The data was tabled in the Lok Sabha on July 30 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in response to a query related to the funds spent for advertisements on Covid-19.

The Union Health Ministry carried out a comprehensive and sustained campaign against the Covid-19 during 2020 and 2021 by deploying various media platforms to carry out awareness across the country. Some campaigns were released in print and electronic media during the initial outbreak of the pandemic in 2020 and an expenditure of Rs 19.66 crore was incurred on these.

During the financial year 2020-21, funds to the tune of Rs 8257.88 crore were released to the states and union territories under the India Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package.

An expenditure to the tune of Rs 209.03 crore had been reported by the states and UTs till June 2021.

The other platforms deployed for dissemination of information on the Covid-19 included the pre-caller tune on mobile phones, inter-personnel communication through Asha workers and leveraging of field-level network of various ministries, like the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development and the PIB network of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.

The civil society organisations, development partners, etc. were also used to spread the awareness about the Covid appropriate behaviour and vaccination programme.

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