Leaders of 12 opposition parties on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a free mass vaccination campaign against coronavirus and demanded providing foodgrains to the needy and giving Rs 6,000 per month to the unemployed.
The Covid-19 pandemic in our country has assumed unprecedented dimensions of a human catastrophe the letter reads.
Without going into all the acts of commission and omission by the Central government that have brought the country to such a tragic pass, we are of the firm opinion that the following measures must be undertaken on a war footing by your government.
The leaders have demanded
- Procure vaccines centrally from all available sources – global and domestic.
- Immediately begin a free, universal mass vaccination campaign across the country.
- Invoke compulsory licensing to expand domestic vaccine production.
- Spend budgetary allocation of Rs. 35,000 crores for the vaccines.
- Stop Central Vista construction. Use the allocated money for procuring oxygen and vaccines, instead.
- Release all money held in the unaccounted private trust fund, PMCares to buy more vaccines, Oxygen and medical equipment required.
- Give all jobless at least Rs. 6000 per month.
- Free distribution of foodgrains to the needy (over one crore tonnes of food grains are currently rotting in central godowns).
- Repeal farm laws to protect lakhs of our annadatas becoming victims of the pandemic so that they can continue to produce food to feed the Indian people. Though it has not been the practice of your office or government, we would appreciate a response to our suggestions in the interests of India and our people.
India on May 12 recorded biggest jump in daily deaths as 4250 people lost their life against the deadly virus pushing the total fatality of nation to 2,54,197 (1.09%).
Apart from witnessing highest fatality in a day India’s daily recovery surpassed new cases on second consecutive day as 3,55,338 people defeated the deadly virus while 3,48,421 new cases were registered in last 24 hours. With more than 3.4 lakh new cases the active cases stands at 37,04,099 while the cumulative case rose to 2,33,40,938. The positivity rate stood at 17.56 per cent and cumulative recoveries reached to 1,93,82,642 (83.04%).
