A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has revealed that a significant portion of oxygen plants and ventilators supplied to West Bengal under the PM CARES Fund during the COVID-19 pandemic remained unused, raising fresh questions about the utilisation of emergency healthcare resources.
The report was tabled in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Saturday by State Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta. According to the state government, the reports highlight audit observations and financial irregularities from previous years and have been presented to facilitate legislative scrutiny.
As per the findings, the Union Government had provided financial assistance to West Bengal during the pandemic to strengthen healthcare infrastructure. However, by March 2022, ₹659.28 crore—around 65 percent of the emergency package allocated to the state—had reportedly remained unspent.
The audit also noted that 75 oxygen generation plants were established in West Bengal during the pandemic using funds from the PM CARES Fund and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. By December 2023, only 32 of those plants had become operational, while the remaining facilities had not been put into service.
In another observation, the CAG reported that the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation allegedly incurred a loss of nearly ₹13 crore after leasing land to an e-commerce company for 99 years. The audit stated that portions of wetland were included in the leased area within an industrial park project at Haringhata in Nadia district, resulting in financial losses.
The Finance Minister also informed the Assembly that 28 CAG reports covering the period from 2020 to 2025, including audits related to finance, health, panchayati raj, and land administration, would be discussed during a special legislative session.
