May 29: The government has allocated Rs 26.75 billion in the budget of Fiscal Year 2021/22 for controlling COVID-19 pandemic.
While presenting the budget on Saturday (May 29), Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel said that Rs 26.75 billion has been allocated in the budget to purchase the anti-COVID-19 vaccines to be administered to all citizens free-of-cost.
Minister Poudel added that Rs 37.57 billion was earmarked to curb the pandemic while Rs 5.60 billion has been allocated to purchase the medicines and equipment in view of controlling the pandemic.
The Finance Minister further shared that the customs duty and taxes were reduced in importing the medical equipment and devices, the state-owned national news agency RSS reported.
Meanwhile, Minister Poudel while presenting the budget said that the government has made arrangements for call centres, mobile service, telemedicine and psychological counseling to aide Covid-19 infected patients.