Kolkata: Following direction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state government is going to initiate the inoculation drive for around 12 lakh employees in industrial clusters and parks from next week.
The 12 lakh workers also include registered weavers and artisans who work in the clusters besides the workers of the industrial parks. The state government is ensuring vaccination for the weavers and artisans while different industrial bodies have come forward for vaccination of workers with cooperation of the state government.
There are around 260 industrial clusters across the state. A senior state government officer said: "There are around 11 lakh registered weavers and artisans. At the same time there are around 10 lakh employees in different industries, MSMEs and factories at industrial parks. We expect that initially vaccines would be required for around a total 12 lakh people. All needed discussions have taken place and the inoculation drive for these sections of people would begin from the next week".
Arrangements to give vaccines will be made at the work place only and information including tentative date would be informed through respective associations.
The Chief Minister had given the direction for the same while holding her first meeting with representatives of chambers of commerce after returning to power for third consecutive term. She had given the direction considering that vaccination of workers and labourers would help in normal functioning of factories in the wake of Covid pandemic.
There are around 88 industrial parks including 56 under West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation.
It also includes the major ones under West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation and around 20 private industrial parks as well. Employees of the factories in these parks have also been brought under the vaccination drive.
"Since such a large number of vaccines cannot be arranged in one go, the vaccination will be carried out in phases. It would begin from urban areas and gradually we will move to the rural areas," the officer said.