Sena, BJP spar over Centre’s 100-crore vaccination claim
The Hindu
Sanjay Raut alleges only 23 crore doses administered till date; BJP dubs his claims ‘laughable’
A slanging match has erupted between the estranged saffron parties, the Shiv Sena and the BJP, over the Centre’s assertion that 100 crore doses had been administered thus far with Sena MP Sanjay Raut challenging the BJP-led Centre’s claims on the “milestone achievement”.
Mr. Raut told a party meeting on Saturday that the Centre’s claims were “utterly false” and that not more than 23 crore doses were given to eligible citizens so far.
Saying he would also give proof to support his allegations, the Sena’s chief spokesperson hit out at the Centre without naming it: “How much will you lie? In the last fortnight, 20 Hindus and Sikhs have been killed [in Kashmir], 17 to 18 soldiers have been martyred, China is creating problems in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, but we are celebrating 100 crore vaccinations which is not true.”
Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.