KOLKATA: State Health department will now issue Covid vaccination certificates to the people with a photograph of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on it and also with a short message from her which reads "Be Alert, Be Safe'.
According to sources, the Health department would issue certificates with the photograph and message of the Chief Minister against those vaccines procured by the state government directly from the manufacturers.
It may be mentioned here that the vaccination certificates issued till date used to carry a photograph of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi but in case of Phase III vaccination, the beneficiaries from the state would get a certificate with Banerjee's photograph from the health department.
As the Bengal government is procuring the vaccine directly from the manufacturers through its own fund, the health department has decided to use the Chief Minister's photograph.
It may be mentioned here that Centre had stopped the supply of free vaccines before the launch of phase III vaccination which includes people in the age bracket 18-45. It had also directed the state governments that they have to buy the doses from the manufacturers. Even there was discrimination in the pricing of the vaccine when it varies from the Centre to the state governments.
According to the Centre's norms all the states would have to pay more than the Centre for each dose of vaccine. Bengal Chief Minister had raised her protest and the decision was eventually challenged in the Supreme Court.
It was learnt from the Health department sources that those who will receive vaccine in the third phase will receive a link on their mobile numbers. People can download the certificate with the Chief Minister's photograph by clicking the link.
In previous phases of vaccination people used to get a similar link to the CoWIN portal where one used to get a certificate with PMs photograph. Unlike those issued by the Centre, there will be no unique number on the certificate issued by the Health department. Other than Bengal, many other states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand are also issuing certificates with photographs of their chief ministers as they are procuring the vaccine.