Hemant photo replaces Modi’s on vaccine certificates issued in state

Ranchi: The state government on Wednesday rolled out a vaccination card, especially for those in the above 18 age group, which has a photograph of chief minister Hemant Soren. The move comes in the backdrop of a recent bickering between the Centre and some states like Maharashtra, for instance, over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph being displayed on the Covid-19 vaccination certificate that is being issued by the CoWin app.
The mahagathbandhan government of JMM-Congress-RJD is of the view that since it is providing free vaccines from the state’s coffers, it is befitting for the card to have the CM’s photo. “Since the state government is vaccinating people by using funds from the state budget, it is logical to put the CM’s photo on the vaccine card. Why should certificates for the 18-44 age group carry Modi’s photo? In that case, the Centre should take responsibility for the huge number of causalities across the country due to its mismanagement of the pandemic and put the PM’s photo on the death certificates of Covid-19 victims,” Rajesh Thakur, the co-working president of the state Congress unit, said.
A senior official of Ranchi administration told TOI that during the state-wide launch of the third phase of vaccination at Ranchi’s ATI on May 14, the CM had asked the officials concerned to give out the vaccination cards to the beneficiaries so that they don’t face any hassle while taking the second dose. “Even though the CoWin app issues a certificate following inoculation, the beneficiaries first need to register themselves on the app in order to get the certificate and the CM feels that many people may not be tech-savvy. Hence, the vaccination cards,” he added.
On Wednesday, the Ranchi administration began issuing the cards across 12 centres and other districts will follow suit.
Besides Soren’s photograph on the right side, the vaccination card bears the state’s emblem on the centre and a pictorial depiction on the importance of taking both the doses on the right. Deputy commissioner Chhavi Ranjan said, “The card also bears full details of the beneficiary, place of vaccination and date of the second dose, among other things. This is just for the convenience of those taking the second dose.”
According to the health department’s data issued, as of Tuesday night, around 1 lakh people, out of about 1.57 crore people in the age group of 18-44, have received their first dose. As many as 30,61,831 have taken their first dose and 6,75,553 have taken both the doses till date.