Congress claims over Covid-19 200,000 deaths in Madhya Pradesh, demands correct figures - Hindustan Times

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As per the health department’s data, Madhya Pradesh has so far reported 8679 deaths due to the Covid-19 disease of which 30 were reported on Thursday.(Biplov Bhuyan/HT file photo. Representative image)

Congress claims over Covid-19 200,000 deaths in Madhya Pradesh, demands correct figures

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the Congress working president of the Madhya Pradesh unit, Jitu Patwari said, “A new report shows that over two lakh (200,000) people have lost their lives to Covid-19 in the state. We want the correct figures to come out to ensure delivery of government schemes.”

By hindustantimes.com | Written by Harshit Sabarwal | Edited by Meenakshi Ray, New Delhi

PUBLISHED ON JUN 18, 2021 11:43 AM IST

The Congress sharpened its attack on the Madhya Pradesh government over alleged underreporting of deaths in the state due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the Congress working president of the Madhya Pradesh unit, Jitu Patwari said, “A new report shows that over two lakh (200,000) people have lost their lives to Covid-19 in the state. We want the correct figures to come out to ensure delivery of government schemes.”

The Congress leader also demanded that chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan should correct the data of Covid-related deaths so that beneficiaries of the state government’s schemes can be benefited.

Also Read| In Madhya Pradesh, CM Chouhan announces new plan to promote Covid-19 vaccination

Prior to Patwari, senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Madhya Pradesh under-reported deaths due to the viral disease and added that over 100,000 people died between March and April.

Nath accused the government of the shortage of vaccine doses in the state and black marketing of essential antiviral drugs like Remdesivir. The senior Congress leader had been booked for allegedly creating panic by his comments about the pandemic.

Hindustan Times reported on June 15 that Madhya Pradesh under-reported the Covid-19 deaths from January 1 to May 31 by a factor of 42, citing data. In April, when the entire country was severely affected by the second wave of the pandemic, the number of funerals in Madhya Pradesh had massively increased, sparking fears that deaths were being underreported.

Also Read| Number of Covid-19 funerals in Madhya Pradesh raise underreporting fears

On April 15, the state capital of Bhopal saw 84 bodies being cremated, crematorium officials told HT, even though health department figures stated that there were only five deaths reported in the city. Of these 84 bodies, 47 were cremated at Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat, 28 at Subhash Nagar, and nine bodies were buried at the Jahangirabad graveyard.

As per the health department’s data, Madhya Pradesh has so far reported 8679 deaths due to the Covid-19 disease of which 30 were reported on Thursday. While 145 more people tested positive on Thursday, taking the caseload to 788,954.

(With ANI inputs)

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