New Delhi: Frontline workers in the aviation sector should be considered for COVID-19 vaccination on priority basis after health workers have been given the jabs, the civil aviation ministry has told the Union health ministry.
As per the guidelines issued by the health ministry on December 28 last year, initially around 30 crore Indians will be vaccinated, including around three crore healthcare and frontline workers, and approximately 27 crore people of over the age of 50 years.
The frontline workers mentioned in the December 28 guidelines does not include aviation sector employees but personnel from the armed forces, prison staff, municipal workers, among others.
In a letter dated January 20, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Pradeep Singh Kharola told his counterpart in the health ministry Rajesh Bhushan: "You will agree with me that the crew, engineers, technicians, ground staff, frontline workers in aviation have certain risk elements while performing their duties in a most diligent manner and make air transportation a safe mode of transport."
Recently, airlines and airports had approached MoCA and highlighted the need to vaccinate their staff on priority basis, albeit once the medical personnel are covered, Kharola mentioned in the letter, which has been accessed by PTI.
"Considering that the frontline workers of airlines and airports are also involved in movement of vaccines, this MoCA recognizes the merit in the proposal and requests the MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) to include frontline workers of airlines and airports along with frontline workers mentioned in the operational guidelines released on December 28, 2020," he added.
If the request is considered favourably, MoCA would coordinate for enumeration of these personnel to be covered under the vaccination programme, Kharola noted.
He said airlines and airports have been in forefront in extending their services to passengers and movement of cargo within the country and across the borders.
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Kalaburagi: Two men, who were found to be natives of Odisha, were caught at Wadi by the Railway Police carrying narcotics (ganja) with them while traveling in the Pune-Bhubaneswar train on Thursday night.
The arrested men, 26-year-old Abhimanyu Malik Dudla and 28-year-old Rubikuni Malik, learned to be natives of Lakirpet village in Gajapati village, Odisha, were carrying 22 kg of the narcotic element, which has been confiscated by the police, the officers have said.
The police were reportedly on a beat of the Pune-Bhubaneswar train to find cases of illegal wooing of voters, following the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, when they caught the Odisha duo red-handed, with the load of ganja.