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Updated July 24th, 2020 at 19:33 IST

J&K sanctions Rs 15 crore for additional COVID-19 response set up in 3 medical colleges

An expert committee of J&K admin sanctioned Rs 15 crore to boost the health infrastructure in the region as it continues to witness a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Reported by: Kunal Gaurav
J&K
| Image:self
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An expert committee of Jammu and Kashmir administration sanctioned Rs 15 crore to boost the health infrastructure in the Union Territory as the region continues to witness an exponential surge in coronavirus cases. Jammu and Kashmir has reported over 15,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 273 deaths linked to the contagious disease so far.

The fund sanctioned by the administration will be used to set up additional COVID-19 testing laboratory and equipment for three medical colleges. It will be also used to acquire personal protective equipment (PPE) and other coronavirus containment efforts under the State Disaster Response Fund.

Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam told a Subject Expert Committee (SEC) meeting that the fund mainly provided to the Health Department. Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, and Government Medical College of Jammu and Srinagar will receive an equal amount of Rs 5 crore each, according to the press release by the Department of Information and Public Relation, J&K.

Read: J&K Government Cancels Amarnath Yatra Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

Lockdown in several districts

The fund has been sanctioned after a sudden rise in coronavirus cases leading to depletion in oxygen supplies and non-availability of beds. The state administration was forced to announce fresh lockdown in several districts but residents demanded better medical infrastructure so that people don’t further problems after reopening.

India has reported over 49,000 new cases of coronavirus and 740 deaths linked to the disease on July 23, taking the total tally of confirmed cases to over 12,87,000 and more than 30,000 deaths so far. It was the second consecutive day when India reported record single-day surge in coronavirus cases. On July 22, the health ministry had announced 45,720 new infections and 1,129 recorded deaths within 24 hours. Over 8.17 lakh COVID-19 patients have recovered so far and the recovery rate stands at 63.45 per cent.

Read: China Buying J&K-based Websites Amid Tensions With India; Experts Sound Alert

Read: India 'appreciates' Bangladesh's Consistent Stand On J&K After Imran Khan Dials Hasina

(With inputs from ANI | Image: AP)

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Published July 24th, 2020 at 19:34 IST

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