Manmohan Singh writes to PM Modi on COVID crisis, offers five suggestions to combat situation

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote a letter to PM Narendra Modi offering suggestions to combat the second wave of coronavirus that has gripped the country.

Singh in his letter devised five ways that could be implemented to arrest the rise of surging infections across India, stating that expansion of covid-19 vaccination programs is a big part of pandemic management.

He added that Centre's strategy must focus on the percentage of the population that has been inoculated instead of looking at absolute numbers. 

Singh also advised that Centre should adopt a transparent approach towards the procedure of coronavirus vaccination in terms of orders placed for the next six months and how they are to be distributed to the states.

Former PM Dr Manmohan Singh writes PM Narendra Modi, "The key to our fight against COVID19 must be ramping up the vaccination effort. We must resist the temptation to look at the absolute numbers being vaccinated, and focus instead on the percentage of the population vaccinated" pic.twitter.com/OiDXnngIJ8

— ANI (@ANI) April 18, 2021

He wrote that states should be given the flexibility to define categories of frontline workers who can be vaccinated, even if they're below the age of 45.

Singh called for increased production of doses and requested the government to allocate requisite funds, concessions, and licenses to vaccine producers to facilitate that.

Concluding his five-point letter, the former PM also said that vaccines that receive approval from competent authorities abroad, should get immediate approval and authorization for use in India and be imported in large numbers in light of an "unprecedented" health crisis.

India, on Sunday, reported its biggest surge in coronavirus infections with a whopping 2.6 lakh new cases and 1,501 deaths, while active cases have surpassed the 18-lakh mark, the ministry data stated.

Ten states -- Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan -- reported 78.56 per cent of the new infections, it said.

(With inputs from agencies)