Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President and Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday demanded that Universal Free Vaccination should be taken up to save the people from Covid Pandemic.
He has submitted a memorandum in this regard to the Governor of Telangana along with the leader of Congress Party in Assembly Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, MPs A Revanth Reddy, and K Venkat Reddy, and former MP Ponnam Prabhakar.
Addressing the media on this occasion Uttam Kumar Reddy severely criticized that both the Central and state governments have miserably failed to control Covid Pandemic.
He said that through the memorandum they have informed the Governor about the failure of the powers that be in controlling the Pandemic. He said that the economy was devastated due to the uncontrolled spread of Covid in the country.
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He said that they have conveyed their anguish to the President of India through a memorandum submitted to the Governor.
Stating the importance of vaccination, Uttam demanded that vaccines should be given at free of cost to all adult populations. He said that the target of vaccinating all the adults by December 31 would not be achievable until one crore persons are vaccinated every day. At the present pace of vaccination, it takes three years to achieve the target of vaccinating all adults of the country.
Coming down heavily on the Chief Minister for failing in controlling the Covid, he said that the TRS government failed to arrange medical facilities and medicines in the state. Even though they have made a complaint to the Governor on the same issue 15 months ago, the Chief Minister has taken it lightly.
Satyagraha Deeksha on June 7
He demanded that Covid should be included in Arogyasri Scheme immediately. He said that Satyagraha Deekshas would be held on June 7 at state headquarter and district headquarters demanding free treatment to Covid and Black Fungus patients.
MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy demanded that the journalists should be identified as front-line warriors and come to their rescue. He also wanted the government to come to the rescue of the children who lost their parents due to Covid.
In the memorandum submitted to the Governor, the Congress leaders said that Covid-19 has caused unprecedented devastation and immeasurable pain to nearly every Indian family. Tragically, Modi Government 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 Government 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. The Government derelict its duty to ‘plan vaccination’ and has been reprehensibly oblivious to ‘procurement of vaccines’.
It has deliberately created a ‘digital divide’ thereby slowing down vaccination and willfully complicit in creating ‘multiple pricing slabs’ i.e. differential pricing, for the same vaccine.
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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 and 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 21.31 crore vaccine doses till May 31. But, only 4.45 crore Indians have received both doses of vaccine, which is only 3.17 percent of India’s population.
In the 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 the third wave of Corona is the question that Modi Government needs to answer. As our citizens are getting infected from Corona in the middle of the raging pandemic, Modi Government was busy exporting vaccines.
To date, Union BJP Government exported 6.63 crore vaccine doses to other countries. This is the biggest disservice to the Nation. The multiple pricing slabs for the vaccine fixed by the Modi Government 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 up to Rs 1,500 for a single dose. 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 Government should procure the vaccine and supply it for free to the States and private hospitals for vaccination of the people of India. Also, we need to vaccinate our entire adult population of above 18 years on or before December 31.
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.
SOURCE-NSS
