COVID-19: Defence Ministry grants emergency financial powers to army commanders to set up medical facilities

The government on Friday granted emergency financial powers to Army corps and divisional commanders to procure equipment to set up medical and quarantine facilities for coronavirus affected people. The general officer commanding in chief (GOC-in-C) has been given full financial powers while corps and division commanders have been allowed to spend Rs 50 lakhs and Rs 20 lakhs, respectively, according to a Defence ministry order. 

The ministry in the order said it is according "emergency powers...to Army commanders, corps/area commanders and division commanders for expediting the procurement/repairs to meet the requirement of establishing and running quarantine facilities/isolation facilities and augmenting these facilities with items, materials, equipment, stores, rations, hygiene chemicals, assets and provision of other services as part of measures for efficient handling of COVID-19 of break out of Defence Budget."

The emergency powers have been delegated to commanders under Schedule 23 of the Army Schedule of Powers (ASP), the order stated. The Army has been playing a significant role in setting up quarantine facilities in various parts of the country and offering treatment to virus-infected patients.

The order stated that these financial powers have been delegated for a period of three months, with a provision of revision or extension thereafter. According to the Union Health ministry, 17 people have died in the country due to the novel coronavirus till now and 724 are infected.