Opposition urges govt to focus on Covid crisis

In a joint statement, opposition parties in India have urged the Central government to focus all attention on the management of the Covid crisis.

New Delhi: As the entire country is struggling with the second wave of coronavirus, opposition parties, on Sunday, released a joint statement demanding the centre to focus all attention on the management of the Covid crisis.

The statement was given by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, JDS' Deve Gowda, NCP Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray, TMC's Mamata Banerjee, JMM's Hemant Soren, DMK's MK Stalin, BSP's Mayawati, JKPA's Farooq Abdullah, Akhilesh Yadav of SP, Tejashwi Yadav of RJD, CPI's D Raja and Sitaram Yechury of CPI-M.

Opposition parties' letter

In the statement, the Opposition demanded, "In times of the uncontrollable surge of the pandemic across our country. We call upon the Central government to focus all attention in ensuring the uninterrupted flow of Oxygen supplies to all hospitals and health centres across the country."

Read:Govt to set up temporary hospitals with 10,000 oxygenated beds near industrial units

It further added, "We call upon the Central government to immediately launch a free mass vaccination programme across the country. The budgetary allocation of Rs 35,000 crore for the vaccination programme must be utilised for this."

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with health experts to review oxygen and medicine availability.

The Government sources later informed that the Centre may ask medical students, including final-year students of MBBS, to help India battle the coronavirus crisis amid the shortage of healthcare personnel.

Read:"Quitting this space", declares Kishor despite TMC's massive projected win