Puducherry third state after Bihar, TN to promise free COVID vaccine
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanswamy has said regardless of Centre’s funds, his government will provide free coronavirus vaccine in the Union Territory.
CM Narayanaswamy quoting the BJP’s announcement in Bihar and Tamil Nadu CM EPS’ similar step said the vaccine should be provided free across the country.
“Corona is like smallpox, polio and governments have been providing the vaccine for free. Similarly, the corona vaccine has to be provided free.”
Also read: https://thefederal.com/covid-19/bjps-bihar-move-raises-a-question-how-to-give-vaccines-for-free/
The BJP earlier in its Bihar assembly election manifesto or ‘Sankalp Patra’ had also announced a free corona vaccine for all.
Releasing the manifesto, Nirmala Sitharaman said that all residents in Bihari will get coronavirus vaccines, that are still in clinical trial stages in India, at their houses free of cost as soon as it is available for mass production in the country.
“As soon as a coronavirus vaccine will be available for production at a mass scale, every person in Bihar will get free vaccination. This is the first promise mentioned in our poll manifesto,” Nirmala Sitharaman said.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had also said that as soon as the vaccine for the coronavirus is ready, it will be given to the people of the state free of cost. He was later slammed by AIADMK chief MK Stalin.
MK Stalin wrote on Facebook, “The Chief Minister, like a big achievement, has said that vaccines will be provided to all at the expense of the government. It is the duty of a people’s government to do such an act at the time of a pandemic. Did the Chief Minister think that the vaccine was a freebie that he would give the people?”
“The Chief Minister, who has not shown any interest in providing Rs 5,000 financial aid to the people who are affected by the coronavirus, is staging a drama by announcing free vaccines for all,” he added.
