The J&K government is seen proactively working for the welfare of the common people amid the challenging times of COVID-19 pandemic. From rigorous testing to robust inoculation and supporting families in the UT through welfare and relief schemes, the J&K government has covered all bases. Now, to make COVID testing easier and affordable, the government has capped the cost of RT-PCR test in private labs to just Rs 400.
As per an official order on Tuesday, private labs in the Union Territory cannot charge more than Rs 400, which includes GST or taxes, if any, cost involved in pickup, packing and transportation of samples, documentation and reporting. This is a major drop in cost considering private labs have been charging anywhere from Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,800 for the RT-PCR test.
With this, the J&K government is leading by example for other states to follow its lead. With affordable testing, the states will be able to do more tests, which can help determine the severity of the prevailing situation.
COVID in J&K
On Monday, J&K reported 1,525 new cases and 37 deaths during the last 24 hours. Officials said 525 cases and 20 deaths were reported from the Jammu division and 1,000 cases and 17 deaths from the Kashmir division while 2,269 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery. So far, 290,465 people have been infected with coronavirus in J&K out of which 251,463 have recovered, while 3,907 have succumbed. The total number of active cases is 35,095 out of which 13061 are from the Jammu division and 22,034 from the Kashmir division.
