13 Oppn leaders urge PM for free vaccines

Agencies

NEW DELHI:

Leaders of 13 Opposition parties on Sunday urged the Centre to launch a free mass vaccination drive across the country in view of the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases.

In a joint statement, they also called upon the Centre to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supply to all hospitals and health centres as they manage the staggering patient loads in view of the rising cases.

The signatories include Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee.

“In times of the uncontrollable surge of the pandemic across our country, we call upon the Central government to focus all attention in ensuring the uninterrupted flow of Oxygen supplies to all hospitals and health centres across the country,” they said in a joint statement.

“We call upon the Central government to immediately Younger people waiting to get inoculated with a dose of the Covid vaccine at a centre in Mumbai on Sunday.