Coronavirus | Punjab CM calls for Centre-State parity in vaccination from May 1

At virtual meet with PM, Capt. Amarinder also asks for adequate oxygen, clearer messaging on essential drugs

Describing the new vaccination policy for the 18 years and above age group as unfair to the States, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday sought Centre-State parity in vaccination from May 1, while calling for urgent steps to ensure adequate oxygen supply. While his government had adopted all measures to minimise the demand for oxygen given its necessity in treating critically ill COVID-19 patients, the Centre must ensure compliance on allocation by liquid oxygen manufacturers in other States, Mr. Singh said. “This is not happening at present. Punjab’s supplies come from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and there are reports of supplies being ‘hijacked’,” he said at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual conference to discuss the COVID-19 crisis with Chief Ministers of the worst-hit States. On the vaccination front, the Chief Minister said that at the rates declared by one manufacturer, the cost to the Punjab government would be over ₹1,000 crore. He sought Central government funding for vaccination, with permission to fit the cost to funds available with the State Disaster Response Force in the interim.