Alleging underreporting of COVID-19 fatalities in Odisha, the State BJP on Saturday came down heavily on the ruling-BJD and demanded a White Paper on the total number of deaths due to the infection in 2020 and 2021.
Addressing a presser, senior BJP leader and Opposition chief whip Mohan Majhi alleged irregularities in the Covid management and said that the Odisha government is hiding the actual data related to the total number of deaths due to Covid-19 in the State.
Majhi demanded a White Paper on the total numbers of people succumbed to the virus in Odisha since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
The BJP leader further said that the healthcare system is in a shambles in the State and hence people are facing a lot of problems.
"The Odisha government must implement the Ayushman Bharat Yojana here to develop the healthcare sector and help people get benefits of the Central scheme," he said.
Odisha is reeling under inadequate doctors and para-medical staff in hospitals across the State. Therefore, the Odisha government should implement the central health scheme without politicising it and without any further delay, he said.
Majhi further demanded that the State should announce ex-gratia for the families and kins of Covid victims as per the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Response of the ruling-BJD leaders on the BJP's allegations could not be obtained.