Prime Minister Narendra Modi today addressed the country and put spotlight on the vaccination drive against the coronavirus in the country.
Speaking on the fight against Covid-19, he said that India has gone through much pain, and many people have lost their loved ones.
He sympathized with the affected families and said this pandemic is the biggest tragedy of this century. The modern world hasn’t witnessed such a pandemic before. He said the fight against this deadly virus is on. He said we fought on war-footing when there was unprecedented demand for medical oxygen during the April- May period of the second wave.
We procured whatever we could bring from other countries and didn’t leave any stone unturned to meet the demand, said Modi. He said the liquid oxygen supply was increased 10 times.
He said that vaccination is the only shield against Covid 19 and made in India vaccines were the lifesavers. He said, “We made two vaccines within a span of one year and are at par with the world.” He further added that 230 million vaccines have been administered to date.
The vaccination drive was slow initially, and thus mission Indra Dhanush was launched for increased speed and coverage of the vaccination. He further added that the vaccination supply would be increasing in the coming days, and 7 companies are producing different vaccines at this time.
The PM, in his address, said that they’ve provided funds and logistical support to the scientists under Atmanirbhar Bharat to research and develop the vaccines. He also said that the vaccines are being introduced for kids and trials of two vaccines are ongoing.
Modi further added that research on a nasal vaccine is also underway. He said the timely vaccination of our frontline workers before the second wave boosted their morale and dedicated themselves to people’s service. The Centre will take up 100 percent control of the vaccination, and free vaccines will be provided to the states for the 18+ age group from June 21st.
The PM stated that the private hospitals could charge a maximum of Rs 150 on the cost of vaccines they purchase from the manufacturers. At last, he added that Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, which provides a fixed quantity of food grains to more than 800 million people every month, has been extended till Diwali to stand by the poor as their partner in these tough times.