GUWAHATI:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lent his voice on behalf of
Assam government as the most powerful campaigner for
Covid vaccination, which has taken a sluggish start in the state as just 13,000
healthcare workers have been inoculated in the last five days as against a target of 30,000.
Modi’s support was the need of the hour for the state, which after showing exemplary Covid management practices, has not been able to fully convince health workers about the necessity of getting inoculated.
Before winding up his speech at Jerenga Pathar, which was loaded with the government’s concern for protection of the state’s natives, Modi said, “The way
Assam handled the Corona epidemic is praiseworthy. I especially congratulate the people of Assam as well as chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his team. I am confident that Assam will now carry forward the vaccination campaign with success. I also urge the people of Assam to get vaccinated. And remember that it is important to have two doses, not one dose.”
He added, “Vaccines made in India are in demand all over the world. Millions of people have been vaccinated in India so far. We have to vaccinate and continue to be cautious.”
Earlier, state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in his welcome address, had expressed gratefulness to Modi for helping the state during the pandemic.
“Every moment and every day, the Prime Minister would enquire about the well being of the people of Assam. He gave us the courage to fight. Without PM Modi’s help, we could not have fought against the coronavirus. Assam will never forget what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done for us,” he added.
He informed that apart from disbursing money to Jan Dhan accounts, the Centre also gave 960 ventilators to the state, Rs 1,300 crore for oxygen concentrators and Rs 180 crore for setting up ICUs.