State receiving fewer vaccine doses: Mamata writes to PM
Kolkata: Accusing that the BJP-ruled states were provided with more doses of Covid vaccines, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday urged the Centre not to discriminate in terms of allocating vaccines.
She also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing her "pain" as repeated requests of the state to supply adequate Covid vaccines "did not receive due attention at the level of the Government of India". She also requested the Prime Minister to provide 14 crore vaccines to Bengal especially when Covid cases in adjoining states, including Sikkim and Assam, are increasing.
After holding a meeting with members of the Global Advisory Board for Covid Response Policy in West Bengal headed by Nobel laureate Dr Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee at Nabanna, Banerjee said: "Despite being smaller than Bengal and even with less population, Gujarat has received double the number of doses. The population of Karnataka is 4 crore when it is nearly 11 crore in Bengal. I do not have any problem if any state is receiving vaccines. But why will Bengal be deprived? It is my appeal to the Prime Minister not to discriminate among states in supplying vaccines."
In her letter to the Prime Minister on Thursday morning, Banerjee also expressed her annoyance as the state has so far received only 2.68 crore doses when "the Central government is providing a larger number of vaccine doses to states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka which are BJP ruled."
"You may be aware that Covid cases are increasing in Sikkim, Assam and North-eastern states. West Bengal has three international borders and also is a gateway to North-eastern states. Therefore, as a special precautionary measure, it is essential that was Bengal is provided with the required for 14 crore doses of Covid vaccines," Banerjee's letter reads.
She further stated that Bengal needs around 14 crore doses of Covid vaccines to cover all in the eligible categories. But the state has so far received only 2.68 crore doses from the Centre.
Banerjee had requested the Prime Minister to ensure an adequate supply of vaccines when she had called on him during her recent visit to Delhi.
She had earlier written to the Prime Minister on several occasions in a similar connection. In May, she wrote three letters (May 5, May 12 and May 20) urging the Prime Minister to ensure the supply of vaccines to Bengal. The first letter was written within hours after she took oath as the Chief Minister for the third time.
On Thursday, she started her letter stating: "You may kindly recall several letters that I have written to you on the critical matter of vaccination and urgent need of a supply of an adequate number of Covid vaccine doses to Bengal. I am pained to note that the matter has not received due attention at the level of the Government of India."
Mentioning that Bengal is the best in the country in the utilisation of vaccines with minus 7 percent wastage and has already administered 3.08 crore doses till date of which 2.20 crore people have been administered with the first dose and 88.93 lakh with the second jab, the Chief Minister expressed her concern that "even after the devastation caused by the second wave, the Centre has not been augmenting supply of vaccines to the states on war footing to combat future waves. As a result, thousands of innocent people are still being affected every day."
As BJP-run states are claimed to be receiving more vaccines, Banerjee reiterated that "I have no problem if they or any other state for that matter receives a higher number of vaccine doses, but I cannot remain a mute spectator to see Bengal deprived."
She informed the Prime Minister that Bengal has the capacity to administer 11 lakh doses per day and expressed her concern that people have to once again face a grim situation if the pace of vaccination is not accelerated that is possible only when there is an adequate supply of shots.
She also wrote to the Prime Minister that the Covid positivity rate in Bengal that "increased from 3 percent in March 2021 to 33 percent in April-May 2021 due to the prolonged eighth phase Assembly elections in the state, has now come down to 1.57 percent."
In connection with the Centre discriminating in supplying vaccines to states, the Nobel laureate added: "The Centre is not capable of generating a needed supply of vaccines. It is the biggest problem and the claims (of discrimination) would not have arisen if there were enough vaccines."
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also stated that her government is considering reopening schools and colleges after the Durga Puja vacation if the Covid situation permits. The classes in that case would be held on an alternate-day basis.
