Central govt committed to providing free Covid-19 vaccines to everyone: PM Modi

The Central government is committed to providing free coronavirus vaccinations to all, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a video conference on Friday. This comes weeks after the Prime Minister announced that the government would revert to a system of centralised procurement of Covid-19 vaccines wherein it will provide free shots to states for inoculation of all above the age of 18 from June 21.

Launched a customised crash course programme that aims to skill and upskill over one lakh “Covid warriors” across the country, PM Modi said, “In the second wave of coronavirus, we saw what kind of challenges the ever-changing form of this virus can bring before us. We have to further enhance the preparedness of the country to meet the challenges ahead.”

He warned people to remain cautious and vigilant, stressing that the virus was “still amongst us” and new and more virulent mutations could potentially pose a real threat in the near future. In preparation for the possible challenges the country can face, the government is also working towards readying over 1,500 oxygen plants in districts around the country, PM Modi said.

The massive campaign to train around one lakh frontline ‘Covid warriors’ was launched with the aim of training them in several key areas, including home care support, basic care support, advanced care support, emergency care support, sample collection support, and medical equipment support, PTI reported.

The course has been designed as a special programme under the central component of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0, with total financial outlay of Rs. 276 crore, the PMO said.

The programme seeks to skill non-medical healthcare workers so that they can fill the present and future needs of manpower in the health sector.