Hold vaccination camps for workers: Power Secy

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 27

Following persistent demand of the power sector employees “to vaccinate them on priority”, the Union Ministry of Power, has written to all states and UTs to organise mass vaccination camps, in coordination with the utilities and state health department.

The Power Secretary, in a demi-official letter, to the Chief Secretaries of states and administrators of UTs, have written that the personnel in generation, transmission and distribution have put their best foot forward in ensuring continuous flow of power in the national grid, and homes have remained lit up as well as emergency services have been going on uninterrupted.

The power secretary has requested the states and UTs to arrange and facilitate special vaccination drive for the employees.

VK Gupta, spokesperson, All India Power Engineers’ Federation (AIPEF), said the federation had written letters to the Prime Minister and the Power Minister earlier in April that “all power sector engineers and employees should be treated as frontline workers during the pandemic.”

“The functioning of hospitals and testing laboratories is largely dependent upon round-the-clock supply, and power engineers and the technical staff of discoms play a major role in fight against Covid-19,” he said.