Coronavirus | Javadekar spars with Maharashtra on COVID-19 vaccination in the State

The sparring between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Central government and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government continued, with Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday slamming the MVA for “poor administration of vaccines”.

“Maharashtra Government had only used 23 lakh vaccines out of the total 54 lakh vaccines sent to the state, till 12th March. 56% vaccines remained unused. Now, Shiv Sena MP asks for more vaccines for the state. First mismanagement of pandemic now poor administration of vaccines,” tweeted Mr. Javadekar, who is Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. In a sharp riposte to Mr. Javadekar’s remarks, senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jayant Patil, who is the State Water Resources Minister, said that despite vaccines being manufactured by Indian companies, the Centre was more eager to export them to foreign countries, including Pakistan, without adequately addressing the needs at home.