Prime Minister Modi gave one of his signature addresses to the nation today, covering a few of the major issues that that the country is tackling. Here’s the crux of what he said.
– From June 21, all citizens above the age of 18 years will get the vaccine for free. The Centre will provide free vaccines to states.
– However, private hospitals can charge a maximum of Rs 150 a dose as service fee over MRP.
– The supply of vaccines will increase soon.
– He announced a centralised vaccine policy wherein 25% of the work being done by states will now be ‘shouldered by the Centre’.
The Central Government will now be responsible for the procurement of Covid vaccination starting from the next two weeks.
– 25% of all vaccines will continued to be administered through private hospitals.
– Vaccine coverage is now at 90%.
– Three more vaccines are in the pipeline, including one which will be administered through the nasal channel. Trials are at an advanced stage.
– Trials are also underway for a vaccine for children.
– He said that relaxation in Corona curfew shouldn’t make people think that Covid-19 has ended; We must continue to follow safety protocols.
– The PM’s Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana, that ensures ration to the poor, will be continued till November.
These were the main talking points of his speech, while the rest of the time was spent elaborating on the current state of the country in terms of Covid.