New Delhi: Ahead of the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination drive in the country starting from January 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India has worked in an exemplary manner to showcase federalism in the fight against the pandemic and proper dialogue between Centre and states played a major role in it. The Prime Minister said that state governments will not have to bear the expenses of COVID-19 vaccination of the health and frontline workers in the first stage.
Speaking at an interaction with chief ministers on vaccination rollout, the Prime Minister said 30 crore people will be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the next few months.
He said quick decisions were taken with full sensitivity and, as a result, COVID-19 has not spread in India on the scale on which it spread in some other parts of the world.
"The proper dialogue between Centre and States has played a major role in combating COVID-19. In the fight against the COVID-19, we have worked in an exemplary manner to showcase federalism. I'm satisfied that we worked together by standing united in COVID crisis, quick decisions were taken with full sensitivity," the Prime Minister said.
He said that the priority of vaccination has been decided as per the advice of the experts and scientific community after consultation with the states, and health workers, from both government and private sector, will be the first ones to receive the vaccine. Along with them, safai karmacharis, other frontline workers, police and paramilitary personnel, home guards, disaster management volunteers and other jawans in civil defence and revenue officials associated with containment and surveillance will also receive the vaccine in the first stage.