New vaccine policy hollow: Didi to PM

Kolkata, April 20

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the Centre’s new vaccine policy is hollow, without substance and a regrettable show of evasion of responsibility by the Central government at the time of crisis”.

The Centre on Monday announced that everyone above 18 years of age will be eligible to get vaccinated against Covid-19 from May 1, liberalising the vaccination drive to allow states, private hospitals and industrial establishments to procure the doses directly from manufacturers.

She reminded the Prime Minister that she had in a letter dated February 24 requested his intervention to allow West Bengal purchase vaccines directly with state resources and give free vaccination to people of the state.

“No response was received from your end. Now when the number of cases in the second wave of is spiralling, the Centre has chosen to tactically indulge in empty rhetoric and shy away from its responsibility for making available vaccines to the people of the country,” she wrote. She alleged that the announcement made on Monday did not address major issues like ensuring quality, efficacy and stable flow of supply of required number of doses by the manufacturers and also the price at which the vaccines are to be purchased by the states.

“It is apprehended that the announced policy may lead to unscrupulous mechanisms in the market, including pricing of vaccines, as it appears to be based on market prices which may put the common people under huge financial burden,” Banerjee wrote. — TNS

Club remaining 3 poll phases, TMC urges EC

Demanding polling to be held in the remaining Assembly constituencies of West Bengal in one go instead of three phases as originally scheduled, the TMC on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer pressing the need for deploying all available manpower to battle Covid. tns

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