Vaccination for all is utmost priority: PM
NEW DELHI: While India has managed the coronavirus pandemic well so far, a surge in cases in some states recently has manifested the need to stay alert and ensure all eligible persons are vaccinated, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday.
At a virtual meeting with chief ministers to review the Covid-19 situation across the country, Modi said the Centre’s priority is also to vaccinate all eligible children at the earliest with special campaigns needed in schools.
“It is clear that the Covid challenge is not fully over yet. Omicron and its sub variants can create problems as evident by the case of many countries of Europe. The sub variants are causing many surges in many countries. India has been able to deal with the situation better than many countries. Still, in the last two weeks, increasing cases in some of the states show that we need to stay alert,” Modi said.
Referring to the highly transmissible Omicron-driven third wave, Modi said as India witnessed up to three lakh cases per day, all states handled the situation while also allowing social and economic activity to continue. This balance should be maintained in our future strategy also, he said.
The Omicron wave was handled with determination and without panic, and in the last two years, all aspects of the fight against the pandemic, whether related to health infrastructure, oxygen supply or vaccination, have been strengthened, he said.
“Covid vaccines have reached each and every person and it is a matter of pride that 96% of the adult population is vaccinated with at least one dose and about 84% people above 15 years of age have received both the doses,” Modi said. Noting that schools have opened after a long time and some parents are worried over the spike of cases in some places, Modi expressed satisfaction that more and more children are getting vaccinated.
NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the exit of some global brands from India, and said “Hate-inIndia” and Make-in-India cannot coexist.
He also talked about unemployment in the country and urged the prime minister to focus on the “devastating unemployment crisis” instead.
“The ease of driving business out of India. 7 Global Brands. 9 Factories.649 Dealerships. 84,000 Jobs,” the Congress leader said on Twitter.
Gandhi shared a picture on Twitter showing seven global brands -- Chevrolet in 2017, Man Trucks in 2018, Fiat and United Motors in 2019, Harley Davidson in 2020, Ford in 2021 and Datsun in 2022-- which have exited the country.
“Modi ji, Hate-in-India and Make-in-India can’t coexist! Time to focus on India’s devastating unemployment crisis instead,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi and the Congress have been attacking the government over the issue of unemployment.