Bihar traders demand Corona warrior status; promised special vaccination camp

Bihar deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad said a vaccination camp will soon be arranged for traders, who he described as the “backbone of the economic system of the state”.

Traders in Bihar are requesting status of Corona Warriors so that a special camp could be held to vaccinate them. They reason they have been running their businesses for people’s convenience despite the threat presented by the pandemic and therefore merited such classification.

Patna, India - Bihar deputy chief minister Tarkishore Prasad interacted with a body of traders in Bihar. HT Photo

On Friday, in an online interaction with the deputy chief minister Tarkishore Prasad, the members of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) in Bihar also requested for the appointment of a nodal officer in every district to solve their issues.

“Though the government is yet to consider them, they are the real Corona warriors. They need vaccination on priority basis... Also, the government should provide them with life insurance,” CAIT state president Ashok Kumar Verma said.

Healthcare professionals, security personnel such as defence and central armed police forces, NGOs, frontline workers and volunteers employed with allied and health care services, accredited social activists such as Anganwadi and ASHA workers, essential services providers such as postal services, fire services, police men, treasury, public utilities including petroleum, CNG, LPG, PNG, disaster management, power generation and transmission units, National Informatics Centre, early warning agencies, civil defence, emergency services, prisons, municipal-level services such as sanitation, water supply etc are classified as Corona warriors by the Central and state governments and they are insured for ₹50 lakh and given vaccination on priority.

The traders association said if given a list of migrants returning from other states, they were willing to help them. It also raised the issue of private owners overcharging for ambulance services in rural areas.

Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad said a vaccination camp will soon be arranged for traders, who he described as the “backbone of the economic system of the state”. “The government has already planned nodal officers in all the districts for the convenience of traders,” he added.