AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam on Wednesday called for the administration of the precautionary dose of the COVID-19 vaccine free of cost in the State.
In a statement, he suggested that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin either consult the Central government in this regard or take steps for administering the precautionary dose using the State government’s funds. It was because of the free vaccine administration scheme that the overall coverage exceeded 186 crore, of which Tamil Nadu accounted for 10.39 crore, he said.
Referring to the recent launch of the drive to administer the precautionary dose to all adults aged above 18, Mr. Panneerselvam said the cost - ₹375 per dose - was an additional burden on the people, who were only now recovering from the severe impact of the pandemic. Those living in villages had to travel quite a distance to get vaccinated. There was an expectation among the people that the vaccine would be administered free of cost at all government hospitals, the AIADMK coordinator added.
Meanwhile, in a letter to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, the AIADMK leader referred to the decision of a Sri Lankan court to order the payment of ₹1 crore each as surety for the release of fishermen on bail, and said this was like “adding fuel to the fire”. He sought the Union Minister’s intervention in getting the fishermen and their boats released immediately.
