Nearly 12 crore doses of Covid vaccine to be available in June: Health Ministry
New Delhi: Nearly 12 crore doses of coronavirus vaccine will be available in June, the Health Ministry said on Sunday. In May, 7,94 crore doses were available for vaccination.
In a statement, the ministry said the allocation of supplies to states and union territories is decided on the consumption pattern, population and vaccine wastage.
"Visibility for availability of vaccines for the entire month of June 2021 has been provided well in advance to States/UTs...," it said.
"For the month of June, 6.09 crore (6,09,60,000) doses of COVID vaccines will be supplied to the States and UTs for vaccination of priority group of Health Care Workers (HCWs), Front-Line Workers (FLWs) and person aged 45 years + and above as free supply from Government of India," the ministry said.
"In addition, more than 5.86 crore (5,86,10,000) doses will be available for direct procurement by the state/UTs and Private Hospitals. Therefore, in June 2021 close to 12 crore (11,95,70,000) doses will be available for the national COVID vaccination programme," it said.
The ministry said the delivery schedule for this allocation will be shared with states in advance.
"States have been requested to direct the concerned officials to ensure rational and judicious utilization of allocated doses and minimize the vaccine wastage. The basic objective behind informing the States/UTs in advance of the quantum of free vaccine doses to be made available from Centre for 15/30 days and the total vaccine doses which are available for direct procurement by States/UTs is to ensure better planning and delivery of vaccine by States/UTs," it said.
For the month of May, 4,03,49,830 vaccine doses have been made available by the Union Government to states.
In addition, 3,90,55,370 doses were available for direct procurement by the states as well as private hospitals in May.
"Therefore, in May 2021 a total number of 7,94,05,200 doses were available for the national COVID vaccination programme," the ministry said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
