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- Published: June 4, 2022 18:00
New Delhi: Setting the records straight on graft allegations in PPE kits supply during the deadly pandemic, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that when the country was battling worst ever Covid-19, her wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma came forward and contributed immensely in the fight against pandemic.
Shedding light on her altruistic service during the pandemic, CM Sarma said that when deadly virus struck, Assam hardly any PPE kit. It was then his wife & her company pitched in and took the onus of supplying PPE kits.
Sharing the appreciation letter issued to his wife’s company by Assam National Health Mission (NHM), the Chief Minister tweeted, “My wife took the courage of coming forward & donating 1,500 PPE kits free of cost to the government to save lives. She didn’t take a single penny.”
At a time when the entire country was facing the worst pandemic in over 100 years , Assam hardly had any PPE Kits
My wife took the courage of coming forward and donating around 1500 free of cost to the govt to save lives
She didn’t take a single penny. pic.twitter.com/ESPJ64qKen
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 4, 2022
A leading news publication had recently published an article, alleging graft in PPE kits supply in Assam and claimed that CM’s wife bagged the contract because of political heft. It claimed that no tenders were issued for PPE production and was handed over Riniki Sarma’s company as Himanta Sarma was the then health minister of state.
Earlier, CM’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma herself strongly contested the ‘unwarranted & unsubstantiated’ claims made in the report. Tearing into the news report, she said that as the nation was staring at unprecedented crisis, she reached out to the NHM of Assam through a business acquaintance and offered to supply PPE kits as part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Riniki Sarma further said that her company maintains hygiene & full transparency in business dealings and she has always believed in giving back to the society, irrespective of his husband’s political stature.
“If only such propaganda websites were to do things beyond paying mere lip service in times of crisis, India would be in a better place,” Sarma had said.