Give Covid vaccine to those who need in India, stop export: Rahul tells PM

Congress leader asks asks PM to allow state governments greater say in vaccine procurement and distribution

The government must allow Covid-19 vaccination to everyone who needs it and immediately suspend imports of the dose, said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
 
"The efforts of the scientific community and vaccine makers had been undermined by the centre's poor implementation and oversight," said Gandhi, referring to alleged shortage of doses in some states.
 
Gandhi asked Modi to allow state governments greater say in vaccine procurement and distribution, as he asked the government to explain why it exported 60 million doses when there is a "shortage in India".
 
India registered a record single-day spike of 131,968 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, pushing its infection tally to 1,30,60,542. The the death toll increased to 167,642 with 780 more fatalities in a day, highest since October 18, data from Union Health Ministry showed.
 
Scores of places vaccinating people against Covid-19 are running out of doses in Mumbai, reported news agency PTI. At least 75 centres, mostly at private hospitals, suspended vaccination Friday morning. The remaining centres are likely to suspend vaccinations later today as their stocks are depleting, PTI said quoting unnamed.