Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada District Congress has appealed to President Ramanath Kovind, demanding to direct the Modi Government to ensure one crore vaccination per day.
The Congress delegation included DCC chairmen, MLC K. Harish Kumar, former ministers B. Ramanath Rai and Abhayachandra Jain, MLA UT Khadar, former MLA Shakuntala Shetty, former MLA JR Lobo, Moideen Bawa, and others.
Congress delegation stated in the appeal that Covid-19 has caused unprecedented devastation and immeasurable pain to nearly every Indian family. Tragically, ModiGovt has completely abdicated its duty of fighting the Corona and abandoned the people, leaving them to fend for themselves. The truth is that Union BJP Govt is guilty of criminal mismanagement of Covid-19.
Vaccination is the only protection in the midst of the raging Covid-19 pandemic. Modi Government’s vaccination strategy has been a dangerous cocktail of blunders and bloopers. Our Government derelict its duty to ‘plan vaccination’. Our Government has been reprehensibly oblivious to the ‘procurement of vaccines’. Our Government has deliberately created a ‘digital divide’ thereby slowing down vaccination. Our Government has been willfully complicit in creating ‘multiple pricing slabs’ i.e. differential pricing, for the same vaccine.
As other countries started placing purchase orders for vaccines from May 2020, the Modi Government failed India. It went on to place its first order of vaccines only in January 2021. As per publicly available information, Modi Government + State Governments have till date ordered only 39 crore vaccine doses for a total population of 140 crores.
As per the Government of India, it has administered 21.31crorevaccine doses till 31st May, 2021. But, only 4.45 crore Indians have received both the doses of vaccine, which is only 3.17% of India’s population. In last 134 days, the average pace of vaccination is about 16 lakh vaccine doses per day. At this pace, it will take over three years for us to vaccinate our adult population. If this is the case, how will we save our fellow citizens from third wave of Corona is the question that Modi Govt needs to answer?
As our citizens are getting infected from Corona in the middle of the raging pandemic, ModiGovt is busy exporting vaccines. Till date, Union BJP Govt has exported 6.63 crore vaccine doses to other countries. This is the biggest disservice to the Nation.
The multiple pricing slab for the vaccine fixed by the ModiGovt is another instance of profiteering from people’s misery.
Serum Institute’s Covishield single dose costs Rs.150 to Modi Government, Rs.300 to State Governments and Rs.600 to private hospitals. Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin single dose costs Rs.150 to Modi Government, Rs.600 to State Governments and Rs.1,200 to private hospitals. The private hospitals are even charging upto Rs.1,500 for a single dose. The full cost of two doses should be accordingly calculated.The Modi Government’s sponsored three price slabs for the same vaccine are a recipe for profiteering out of people’s misery.
The need of the hour is that Union BJP Govt should procure the vaccine and supply for free to the States and private hospitals for vaccination the people of India. Anything less is a huge disservice to India and its people.
Also, we need to vaccinate our entire adult population of above 18 years on or before 31st December, 2021. This is the only way to save our people. For this, the only solution is to vaccinate at least one crore people a day and not the current average of 16 lakh people a day.
Therefore, DK district congress urge upon your good self to direct the Modi Government to ensure one crore vaccination per day as also universal free vaccination. This is the only way to fight Covid-19 pandemic and defeat the disease. This is the only way for each Indian to emerge victorious over Corona.
