Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], Mar 22 : AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad has proposed that the Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund should be allowed to be used for bearing the cost of COVID-19 tests for the needy.
The proposal came after the Centre on Saturday opened the door for private laboratories to carry out tests for COVID-19. The government has capped the cost of the tests at Rs 4,500.
So far, only the government labs were doing the tests, and they were free of cost.
In a tweet in which he tagged Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Owaisi said: "We need ample testing to assess the extent of this crisis. Request @JoshiPralhad @ombirlakota to allow MPs to utilise funds from MPLAD to cover costs of testing for those patients who cannot afford to pay."
"Relevant norms can be prescribed to ensure transparent use of funds," he added.
The number of confirmed coronavirus infected people in India touched 315 on Saturday as per the ICMR data.
( With inputs from ANI )