In the course of my talks with our Chief Ministers, the question of GST came up. They felt that as a preliminary measure, all equipments, instruments… - Sonia Gandhi

What can be more patriotic than all of us fighting the pandemic together. Our coronavirus warriors are fighting this war despite lack of basic safety gear. Our doctors, health workers and social service organisations are providing treatment despite the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). Police and jawans are enforcing lockdown rules. Sanitation workers are constantly cleaning to prevent the spread of infection even in the difficult times.

At the same time, we have to ensure that registration takes place, that vaccine hesitancy wherever evident is overcome and vaccine wastage is minimised... No doubt, this is dependent entirely on the adequacy of vaccine supply. We must continue to put pressure on the Union government which has, at our party's insistence, finally taken on the responsibility for this.

While it will be necessary on the one hand to substantially ramp up our domestic production capacity, it will also be prudent to allow emergency use authorisation of all the vaccine candidates that have the required clearances, without any further delay. Accordingly, with enhanced availability, categories eligible for vaccination should be expanded on the basis of need and exposure rather than just age.