India is the largest vaccine exporter in the world, but no dose for our people : Priyanka Gandhi
The Prime Minister's photograph is plastered across each of our vaccine certificates, but he has abdicated responsibility for ensuring the vaccination of all Indians. ...
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ : Priyanka Gandhi
Priyanka Gandhi, Congress General Secretary
Janjwar Desk. On the 15th of August 2020, amidst much fanfare, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared before the nation that his government was ready with a complete plan to vaccinate every single Indian citizen. It was easy for us all to believe this declaration of preparedness because after all, India's vaccine production capacity and programs had a robust foundation.
As far back as 1948 Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated India's first vaccine manufacturing unit in Chennai and in 1952 he set up the National Institute of Virology in Pune. Over the next few decades, India successfully vaccinated its population against diseases like smallpox and polio. By the 1980s we had begun to export vaccines to other countries and were well on our way to becoming one of the largest manufacturers of vaccines in the world.
As the Covid Pandemic ravaged the world, however, an uncomfortable truth began to emerge. India's status of excellence as a vaccine manufacturer became yet another propaganda tool for our Prime Minister.
By the time the second wave had hit us, India was reduced to a shameful dependence on vaccine imports from other countries to vaccinate its own people.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป?
While countries across the world began placing vaccine orders in advance as early as July 2020, India's first ever order for the Covid-19 vaccine was placed in January 2021. As if that was not negligent enough, the number of vaccines the Modi government ordered for a population of 130 crores was a paltry 1.6 crores.
Between January and March 2021, 6.5 crore vaccines were exported by India to other countries. Many countries were even sent the vaccines as free gifts from India. All this was a grand PR exercise for our Prime Minister who had already declared victory over Corona at international forums at the same time. Meanwhile only 3.5 crore Indians were vaccinated against Covid-19 during the same three-month period.
On the 1st of May the government opened up vaccinations for the 18-44 year age group. This group consists of approximately 60 crore people, but the government had only ordered 28 crore vaccines that would at best ensure the full vaccination of 14 crore people.
As of today, 11% of all Indian citizens have received the first dose of vaccinations and only 3% have received both doses.
The celebratory "Teeka Utsav" was announced right in the middle of the nightmare being faced by people who were running from pillar to post trying to save the lives of their loved ones. Within a month of its announcement the number of vaccinations fell by 83%.
The Prime Minister's photograph is plastered across each of our vaccine certificates, but he has abdicated responsibility for ensuring the vaccination of all Indians. Instead, the central government has conveniently passed the buck to the states. The states in turn, strapped of finances and with no assistance from the Central Government have been left to make arrangements of their own.
As you can see, in a glaring testament to his inability to govern, the Prime Minister actually took the steps that ensured India's inability to vaccinate its own sons and daughters against Covid-19.
Now that we are here, and despite all sorts of grandiose proclamations most people are scrambling to register themselves for vaccines and waiting in line, there are some questions to which we are owed an answer:
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐ด๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ญ?
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ?
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ, ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐?