No prisoners died due to medical neglect: Sabita

Denying the charges that prisoners died  in confinement due to paucity of medical facilities, Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy on Friday said appropriate treatment was provided  to the prisoners and due medi-care of all the sick prisoners was taken.

Responding to a question raised by Congress members G Thippe Swamy and Venugopala Reddy in the Legislative Council during the Question Hour, she said ``prisoners suffering from severe ailments were  referred to expert  physicians from the corporate hospitals.  They were provided treatment at the Government’s cost, she said.

She backed up her statement by providing relevant statistics. According to the Home Minister, the Government had spent Rs 16 lakh for the treatment of prisoners in private hospitals in the last five years. An additional amount of Rs 1.12 crore had been earmarked in the budget during 2009-10 for treatment of prisoners, which includes  purchase of medicines.

Regarding  the functioning  of  electrical substations and setting  up of  sub-stations in the state, Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah said ``the State Government proposes to construct 1,400 electrical substations at an estimated cost of Rs 12,788 crore in the five-year beginning 2010.

The Minister made  the statement in the Council in reply to a  question raised by Congress members K R Amos and T Bhanuprasada Rao .