Parliament PAC to meet on June 16 to deliberate on Covid vaccination policy

The Parliament Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hold a meeting on June 16 to deliberate on the country's Covid-19 vaccination policy.

This will be the first Standing Committee meeting with physical presence amid the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier in May, chairman of the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for an early PAC meeting to deliberate upon the pandemic situation and the government's Covid-19 vaccination policy.

The Congress leader, who is also the chairman of the PAC, said the meeting could be by any mode, either physical or virtual, depending upon the Covid-19 situation.

In a letter to the speaker, Chowdhury said that having an "effective vaccination policy" is the need of the hour to tackle the pandemic and the PAC should meet either physically or virtually to discuss it.

He said the policy on vaccination has become central and is of utmost importance in these days of the crisis.

"As the lives and livelihood of the people of the country as a whole are dependent on an effective vaccination policy, I would request you to kindly permit the Public Accounts Committee to meet and deliberate upon this subject matter with the representatives of the government -- the Ministry of Health, ICMR and others concerned," he said in his letter.

The last PAC meeting in person was held in July last year.