New Delhi, Jul 5 (IANS): Taking a break from upping the ante on the India-China standoff, the Congress, here on Sunday, raised questions over availability and purchase of ventilators through the PM-CARES fund.

"On March 31, the government had placed orders to procure 40,000 ventilators from two domestic manufacturers. Skanray Technologies was given the order for 30,000 ventilators and AgVa Healthcare, 10,000 ventilators.

"Thereafter, the PM-CARES fund allocated Rs 2,000 crore for supply of 50,000 ventilators to the government-run Covid hospitals. Did the 50,000 ventilators ordered through the PM-CARES fund include the earlier order for 40,000 ventilators? Or they are separate," said Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh.

According to the PMO release, only 1,340 ventilators had been delivered till June 23, he said.

Citing the PMO release, he said ventilators were ordered at Rs 400,000 a piece. But at the same time, AgVa Healthcare quoted Rs 150,000 per ventilator.

"When the ventilator is available at Rs 1,50,000 a piece, then why the PM-CARES fund had allocated Rs 4,00,000 per ventilator? Where is this extra money going," the Congress leader demanded to know.

He also asked if the open tendering and competitive bidding process was followed in the placing of orders.

The Congress spokesman said when several government hospitals and panels of experts and doctors had said that ventilators supplied by AgVa Healthcare were sub-standard and of no use, why the government was compromising on health of lakhs of patients by ordering low quality equipment.