Govt aims to inoculate all above 18, no time for politics: Health minister in LS

India has so far administered 423,417,030 doses of the vaccine against Covid-19 of which 54,76,423 doses were administered in the last 24 hours.

Union health minister Manuskh Mandaviya on Friday reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks that the vaccination drive against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) should not be politicised and said it is the Centre’s aim to vaccinate every citizen in the country who is above 18 years and it is not the time to do politics.

Union health Mansukh Mandaviya informed the Lower House that an expert group of the Centre is still in talks with Pfizer for vaccine supplies.(ANI file photo)

Addressing the Lok Sabha, which witnessed opposition uproar on several issues including the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Mandaviya said, “I want to place some facts in front of you (Speaker Om Birla). Till now, PM Modi, in accordance with a federal structure to fight the Covid crisis on a collective basis, has held discussions with states and chief ministers 20 times. Work was done on a time to time basis on the suggestions provided by them (states).”

As opposition parties and state governments earlier said that “health is a state subject” and states should be taken into confidence, the Centre agreed that from May 1 that states could purchase 25 per cent of doses, private firms could also purchase 25 per cent of the doses and the Centre would buy the remaining 50 per cent doses for inoculating the country’s population, Mandaviya said. “The Centre also agreed to help those states which had taken out tenders for procuring the 25 per cent doses,” he added.

The health minister also informed the Lower House that an expert group of the Centre is still in talks with Pfizer for vaccine supplies, adding talks are also continuing with other manufactures such as Moderna and Johnson and Johnson (J&J).

Pointing out that India is running the biggest vaccination program under the leadership of PM Modi, Mandaviya appealed to all opposition parties to cooperate and answer back to those who are spreading rumours about the program.

India has so far administered 423,417,030 doses of the vaccine against Covid-19 of which 54,76,423 doses were administered in the last 24 hours.

As several states have flagged and continue to raise the shortage of Covid-19 vaccine doses, health minister Mandaviya said last week that useless statements were being made to create panic among people and the availability of jabs has gone up.