TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Rahul Gandhi on Friday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for vaccination for “everyone who needs it” and to immediately halt vaccine exports. The Congress leader also urged the government to fast-track other vaccines. “Open up Covid vaccination to everyone who needs it,” he said.
In the letter, Gandhi also sought more say to the state governments in vaccine procurement and distribution. “Give state governments’ greater say in Covid-19 vaccine procurement, distribution,” he said. He also asked for a provision of direct income support to the vulnerable sections amid the disastrous second wave of Covid-19 in India, as he extended his support to the vaccination program.
The Congress MP has written to the PM against the backdrop of a record surge in Covid cases and a fierce row between the Centre and some states over vaccine supply.Questioning the government for permitting large-scale exports of vaccines, he said, “While our nation is facing vaccine starvation, more than six crore doses of vaccines have been exported.” “I humbly request you to provide vaccine suppliers with necessary resources to increase manufacturing capacity and place an immediate moratorium on vaccine export,” Gandhi said in his letter to the prime minister.