The Odisha unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged protests in front of several vaccination centres across the state over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photographs missing from the posters. They also questioned why chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s pictures were put up instead, when it was the Centre providing the vaccines.
BJP workers in Balasore, Rayagada, Koraput, Angul and Keonjhar districts tore up posters at various vaccination centres. In Balasore town, they forcibly cut the ribbon and inaugurated the vaccination drive at Gandhi Smruti Bhawan. They also argued with government officials at the centre and put up a stand-alone photograph of the PM at the site.
Union minister and BJP leader Pratap Sarangi said, “When the Centre has been carrying out the world’s largest free vaccination drive, the state government is trying to politicise the programme by placing the chief minister’s photo at the vaccination centres. The state is trying to hijack welfare schemes sponsored by the Centre.”
A local BJP leader in Rayagada alleged that the CM’s photo was also printed on the vaccination slips provided to the beneficiaries for the second dose.
Ruling BJD MLA Debi Prasad Mishra asked whether the state has no role in organising the vaccination programme even if the Centre is sending the doses. “They want to create a controversy out of nothing for political mileage. Covid vaccine should not be dubbed as Modi vaccine, Nitish vaccine, Stalin vaccine, or Naveen vaccine,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Ruling BJD MLA Debi Prasad Mishra asked whether the state has no role in organising the vaccination programme even if the Centre is sending the doses. “They want to create a controversy out of nothing for political mileage. Covid vaccine should not be dubbed as Modi vaccine, Nitish vaccine, Stalin vaccine, or Naveen vaccine,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, on Monday, the state had set a target of vaccinating around 300,000 people, its highest single day target so far since January 16 when the inoculation drive started. On Monday, Odisha’s cumulative Covid-19 vaccination coverage crossed the 10-million mark. Out of these, more than 8.2 million people have received the first dose while more than 1.8 million people have got both the doses.
Health department officials said Odisha has been able to save 290,000 doses of vaccines by maintaining a negative wastage of -3% so far. Negative wastage is when no vaccine vials are damaged, rather, the extra doses in each vial are utilised.
“Due to efficient and effective management of Covid-19 vaccination, Odisha has maintained a negative wastage of 3%, which is one of the best in the country. Due to the negative wastage, we have been able to save 290,000 doses till date,” said Covid vaccination nodal officer Dr Bijay Panigrahi.