Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today said that he has been personally looking into the Rs 10 billion expenditure incurred by the government for the control, treatment, and prevention of coronavirus and would not let off anyone if found guilty of corruption, including the Nepal Army.

The PM said so during a meeting with a team of Nepali Congress (NC) lawmakers led by party Chief Whip Bal Krishna Khand, who had reached the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar today to hand over a memorandum.

NC lawmakers, through their memorandum, have demanded details of Rs 10 billion expenditure, an increase in PCR testing, organized quarantine centers, proper hospital management, procurement of required healthcare materials, and an investigation into alleged irregularities in the rescue of Nepali citizens from abroad.

In his response to the demand for a breakdown of the Rs 10 billion expenditure, Prime Minister Oli said that it was not possible for the government to conduct daily audits because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Oli also kept silent on NC’s demand to stop RDT and increase PCR tests, choosing to not respond to the demand.

Prime Minister Oli said that the risk of coronavirus had increased with the new lockdown modality. He stressed on the need for all parties to work together to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Oli admitted that there is frailty in the local-level quarantine centers, where those coming from India are admitted.

He also reiterated his certainty that the spread of coronavirus was under control in Nepal before a huge influx of arrivals from India caused a rise in the number of cases.

The prime minister, however, did not shy away from once again peddling his belief that Nepalis have a strong immunity to fight the against the deadly virus.