Govt looking into COVID-testing data fudging, guilty will be punished: Bihar CM

Patna (Bihar) [India], February 12 : After RJD MP Manoj Jha asked for a high-level inquiry into fudging of COVID-19 testing data in Bihar, state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said that the state administration is looking into the matter and action will be taken against people found guilty.
"I just came to know about the matter after somebody raised it in Rajya Sabha. I had a word with the Principal Secretary of the state about it, and he said the matter has been investigated. A total of 22 districts have already been looked into. This was seen at one location and action is being taken," Kumar said.
He said the state administration also spoke to the journalist who reported the matter in a newspaper.
"However, I review the data on testing every day. The daily figures show we have tested heavily. I will look into the details of the matter tomorrow and if somebody is found guilty, action will be taken against the person. The Principal Secretary said he will review all the districts today and give me the report by tomorrow," the Chief Minister said.
RJD MP in Rajya Sabha cited a leading English daily and said the COVID-19 testing data is being fudged in Bihar and demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter. He said that according to state records the testing figures in Bihar increased at a very fast pace.
Jha also asked the Speaker to ask the state government to use ID cards like Aadhaar card and Pan card for data maintenance.