Oppn slams govt on 'lack of clarity' on booster dose, vax for children
New Delhi, Dec 3: The Opposition parties on Thursday slammed the government for alleged Covid mismanagement, lack of clarity on the booster dose and vaccines for children. In a marathon debate of over 11 hours on the Covid-19 pandemic and related issues in the Lower House, the members raised various aspects of the pandemic. A total of 74 members spoke on the issue.
Participating in the debate, Trinamool Congress MP Satabdi Roy raised the issues of digital divide affecting poor children during the pandemic-triggered school closures. She also asked whether it was that "important" to display Prime Minister Narendra Modi's picture in Covid-19 vaccine certificates.
Congress MP Geeta Kora said, "At the time when we have been discussing Covid-19 in the House, another variant has reached our country." "What steps the government has been taking to deal with the impending wave," she asked.
Another Congress MP, Suresh Kodikunnil said, "The Rs 20,00,000 crore stimulus package announced by the government, claiming to be 10 percent of the GDP, was statistical circus."
"Also no provision was made for direct cash transfer for the poor," he asserted.
Further, Kodikunnil demanded that the ASHA workers, who proved to be "frontline warriors" during the pandemic, "must" be appointed into the health department.
BJP MP Jagdambika Pal said that India is now "ready" to take on the Omicron variant under Prime Minister Modi's leadership. He also said that Prime Minister Modi thought about the poor, who had to travel to district headquarters and cities for basic medical needs and tests, and he has planned a medical college in every three districts.
"We only had National Virology Institute (NIV), Pune where we were sending all the samples for coronavirus tests. Today, you can get an RT-PCR test done at block or district level," Pal added.
The Leader of Opposition Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asked that when the World Health Organisation, on November 26, declared the new Coronavirus variant, which is named as Omicron, as dangerous, what was the roadmap of the government to tackle this impending threat.
He also asked the government about its roadmap to vaccinate all adult population and when will the children be vaccinated.
BJP MP Nishi Kant Dube, defending the government, said that there should not be politics into dealing with pandemic and praised the "active leadership" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the country's fight against Covid-19.
Another BJP Member Rajiv Pratap Rudy noted about how the nation has been equipped with isolation wards, ICU beds and other equipments to deal with Covid-19.
Admitting that the Omicron has been a matter of concern, Rudy stated that the government is taking adequate measures to deal with the challenge.
MPs such as Asaduddin Owaisi, Hanuman Beniwal, Rahul Ramesh Shevle, Sougat Roy, Supriya Sule, Ritesh Pandey, Navneet Rana Mohua Moitra were among the 74 members of the Lok Sabha participated in the debate.