Centre to bear expenses for the first round of COVID-19 vaccination, assures PM Modi

New Delhi, January 12: As the nation is paving the way for a massive inoculation drive, PM Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting with Chief Ministers and said the nation aims to achieve vaccination for 30 crore people in the next few months.

During the meeting, he informed vaccination will be rolled out in three phases. In the first phase three crore frontline COVID warriors, including healthcare professionals, sanitation workers, policemen, and revenue officers, will be given the vaccine for which the Centre will bear all the expenses.

 

 

He added that State governments will not have to bear any cost towards vaccinating these 3 crore people in the first stage and the Centre will bear this cost. He said that the priority of vaccination has been decided as per the advice of the experts and scientific community after consultation with the States.

 

In the second stage, those above 50 years of age, and those below 50 years of age with comorbidities or with a high risk of infection, will be vaccinated. Preparation for infrastructure and logistics has been done with all States and UTs, the PM said, adding that dry runs for vaccination have also been done across the country.

 

PM Modi said the booth-level strategy used for elections needs to be adopted for vaccination. Highlighting the monitoring mechanism of beneficiaries, the prime minister said a digital platform, Co-Win, has been created for this. "With the help of Aadhaar, beneficiaries will be identified as well as timely second dosage will be ensured."

 

 

The prime minister said that the vaccination drive in India is significant also because several other countries are going to follow us. He said the vaccination for COVID-19 has been going on in about 50 countries for the past 3-4 weeks, and till now, only about 2.5 crore people have received the vaccination. India aims to achieve vaccination for 30 crore people in the next few months, he said.

 

He underlined the significance of following the COVID-related protocols throughout this endeavour, adding that even those who are receiving the vaccine should continue to follow these precautions to prevent any spread of the virus. He said that all States and UTs will have to put in place mechanisms to keep rumors related to vaccination in check. For this, help from religious and social organizations, NYK, NSS, SHGs, etc should be taken.

 

PM Modi further said that proper mechanisms have been put in place in case a person feels discomfort due to the vaccine, adding that such a mechanism is already in place for the universal immunization programme, and it has been further strengthened for this vaccination drive.

 

PM Modi also discussed the spread of Bird Flu in nine States including Kerala, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra. He said that the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying has put in place a plan to tackle the problem, in which District Magistrates will have a key role. He asked Chief Ministers of the affected States to guide their DMs in this endeavour.

 

Besides this, PM Modi also discussed the spread of Bird Flu in nine States including Kerala, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra. He said that the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying has put in place a plan to tackle the problem, in which District Magistrates will have a key role. He asked Chief Ministers of the affected States to guide their DMs in this endeavour. He added that other States where Bird Flu is yet to reach should be on a constant vigil.