BackGovt to ensure vaccines are adequately available: Modi
On Day 4 of Tika Utsav, over 3 mn doses were administered, taking the total to 114 mn doses
PremiumPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the government is committed to ensuring adequate availability of covid-19 vaccines. He was interacting with the governors and lieutenant governors of states and Union territories in a video conference.
“India has become the fastest nation to reach the landmark of 10 crore vaccinations," the Prime Minister said. Noting the positive impact of the Tika Utsav in the last four days, Modi said that in this period, the vaccination drive was expanded, and new vaccination centres also came up.
On Day 4 of the drive, more than three million doses were administered, taking the total so far to 114 million doses.
Discussing the rise in the number of covid-19 cases, the Prime Minister said that in this stage of the fight against the virus, the country stands to gain from last year’s experience and improved healthcare capacity.
He said RT-PCR testing needs to be increased from 60% to 70%, noting that the country has become self-reliant with respect to kits and other material related to testing.
“All this has led to a reduction in the cost of RT-PCR tests also. Most of the products related to testing are also available on the GeM portal," Modi said.
He suggested that the governors can actively engage to ensure that social institutions collaborate seamlessly with state governments in micro containment. Governors are an important link to ensuring better coordination between state governments and society, the Prime Minister said, adding that the combined power of all community organizations, political parties, NGOs and social institutions needs to be harnessed.
“Our youth, our workforce, are an important part of our economy. Hence, it is important to ensure that our youth follows all covid-related protocols and precautions. The governors’ role is also critical in ensuring the greater engagement of our students in university campuses towards this Janbhagidari," Modi said.
“We also need to focus on better utilization of facilities at university and college campuses. Just like last year, National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the National Service Scheme (NSS) also have a key role to play this year as well," he said.
Vice president M. Venkaiah Naidu, home minister Amit Shah and health minister Harsh Vardhan also attended the interaction.
The governors shared details of how their respective states are tackling the spread of the virus and coordinating activities towards ensuring a smooth implementation of the vaccination drive while also mentioning the deficiencies of healthcare facilities in the states.
The country on Wednesday crossed 260 million tests. India’s daily new cases also continue to rise. A total of 184,372 cases were registered in the last 24 hours.
Ten states led by Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have shown a rise in daily cases, and 82% of the cases were reported from these 10 states.
A total of 1,027 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. Ten states account for 86% of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (281), followed by Chhattisgarh with 156.
Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 60,212, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 17,963 and Chhattisgarh with 15,121.
India’s total active caseload has reached 1.3 million. It now comprises 9.84% of the country’s total positive cases.
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