Agencies
New Delhi, December 04:
Speaking at an all-party meeting convened to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured political leaders that novel coronavirus vaccination will start in India as soon as scientists give the green signal. “Experts believe that COVID vaccine will be ready in the next few weeks. As soon as scientists give a green signal, vaccination will start in India. Healthcare, frontline workers and elderly people suffering from serious diseases will be given priority,”
PM Modi said at the meeting, “Our scientists are very confident of succeeding in their endeavour of making the COVID-19 vaccine. Centre is in talks with state governments over the price of vaccine and a decision regarding it will be taken keeping public health as topmost priority,” he said.
Ahead of the meet, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said that he hoped PM Modi will clarify by when every Indian will get access to free COVID-19 vaccination.
This was the second all-party meeting called by the government to discuss the COVID-19 situation since the outbreak of the pandemic. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan are present in the meeting. Besides them, Parliamentary Affairs Ministers Pralhad Joshi and ministers of state in the same ministry Arjun Ram Meghwal and V Muraleedharan, who reached out to floor leaders for the meeting, were also a part of it.
The meeting began with a presentation by the Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan. The presentation explained India’s fight against the pandemic so far. The meeting also assumes significance as it is being held after Modi’s visit to pharmaceutical companies in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune to review coronavirus vaccine development work there.
