Karnataka to purchase 1 crore doses of Covishield vaccine at Rs 400 crore
Bengaluru, Apr 22: The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to purchase 1 crore doses of Covishield vaccine at a cost of Rs 400 crore.
"The Chief Minister has approved the purchase of 1 crore doses of Covishield vaccine at a cost of Rs 400 crores, in the first phase.This will be used for vaccination of persons between 18 to 44 years," his office said in a statement.
Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) is the manufacturer of Covishield vaccine.
The central government had recently announced that vaccination for those above 18 years will begin across the country from May 1 as part of the third phase of the inoculation drive.
With government giving manufacturers and importers pricing freedom, SII has said that Covishield vaccine will be priced at Rs 400 per dose for state governments and Rs 600 for private hospitals.
Yediyurappa, on getting discharged from hospital earlier today, where he was undergoing treatment for Covid-19 for the last six days, said the pandemic situation had become "uncontrollable".
He chaired a meeting of Bengaluru ministers this evening to assess the situation in the city.
At the meeting, Health Minister K Sudhakar informed that the issue of shortage in oxygen supply and medicine in the city has been resolved, a CMO release said.
He also clarified that there was no shortage of vaccines, it said.
It was also decided at the meeting to strengthen fever clinics in the city, test those with fever and other symptoms, and to give them appropriate guidance, so that only those in need can be hospitalised.
The Chief Minister gave instructions to strengthen the helpline, aimed at immediately responding to issues faced by the people.
He also issued directions on giving priority to provide treatment and teleconsultation for those in home isolation and to keep vigil on them.
It was also directed to ensure that private hospitals reserve beds for COVID patients and Deputy Commissioner of Police for respective zones were instructed to visit hospitals in this regard.
Nodal officers have been made responsible for COVID management in their respective zones.
The Chief Minister also asked officials to take up morale-boosting measures among healthcare staff.
It was also decided to make necessary alternative arrangements for keeping bodies at crematoriums, as queuing of ambulances carrying them at crematoriums for hours has resulted in their shortage.
Help of volunteers for COVID management, wherever required, will be taken, according to the release.
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Govt employees mandated to complete competency-linked courses: Centre in Rajya Sabha
New Delhi (PTI): All central government employees have been mandated to complete competency-linked courses relevant to their role or level on a dedicated online platform annually, which will reflect in their annual performance appraisal reports, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
The government has adopted a competency-based capacity building approach, focusing on role-based learning, continuous skill development, and alignment of training with role requirements, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply.
"The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has mandated all central government employees and officers of the all-India services to complete competency-linked courses mapped to their role/level and comprehensive assessments prescribed by their ministries/ departments/organisations (MDOs) or cadre controlling authorities (CCAs) on iGOT (integrated government online training) portal annually, which is to be also reflected in their annual performance appraisal reports (APARs)," he said.
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The minister was responding to a query about the government's plans to incorporate competency-based scores for promotion and appraisal processes of its employees.
A framework of roles, activities and competencies (FRAC) aims to align all positions in government with clearly defined roles, activities, and required competencies (behavioural, functional, and domain), Singh added.
In a separate reply, the minister said that details of the engagement of consultants are maintained by respective ministries and departments.
The General Financial Rules (GFR), 2017, administered by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, provides for the fundamental principles applicable to all ministries or departments concerning the engagement of consultants and external professionals or consultancy firms for specific jobs, he said.
"As informed by the Department of Expenditure, data regarding engagement of consultants is maintained by respective ministries and departments," Singh said.
The minister was asked the year-wise number of consultants engaged by all the central ministries and departments during the last five years.
