Only 3.4% vaccinated, Priyanka Gandhi points out flaws in vaccine policy

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday in her series "jimmedar Kaun" (Who is responsible) highlighted the flaws in vaccine distribution.

In her Facebook post she wrote, "Experts believe that to defeat coronavirus, vaccination is the key and the countries which have vaccinated its people have seen less impact of the second wave, but in our country it was 320 per cent more than the first wave."

She said that the citizens are asking why the situation has come to this that the state governments have to go for global tender and compete for different rates for the same vaccine. How the government is claiming to vaccinate every Indian by the end of this year and what is the plan to vaccinate those who are deprived of digital connectivity?

"In this country, vaccines for small pox and polio were distributed to every household but due to the Modi government's inefficiency, the production and distribution has been in a mess," She said.

Only 12 per cent people received first dose and only 3.4 per cent have been fully vaccinated in India, she said.

In 2020, Modi had said that he will vaccinate every citizen and the plan is ready. But in April during the second wave, responsibility was shifted to the States and till May 1, only 34 crore vaccines have been ordered and many state governments have been forced to go for global tender and many companies have refused to deal with them, she said, adding this is the reason vaccination centers are closed and there are different rates for the vaccines.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday said that more than 23 crore vaccine doses have been provided to the States/UTs and approximately 1.75 crore doses are still available with them to be administered.

The Centre has so far provided, both through the free of cost category and through the direct state procurement category, more than 23 crore vaccine doses (23,11,68,480) to States/UTs.

--IANS

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