ECI writes to poll bound states to scale up vaccination

New Delhi, Jan 3: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has written to the Chief Secretaries of the five poll bound states to ramp up vaccination drive, sources said here on Monday.

The sources quoting officials said that the ECI has also expressed concern over the low percentage of inoculation of the first dose of vaccine in the state of Manipur and asked the government to speed up the vaccination drive there.

The State of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will be going for assembly polls soon and the schedule of the election is likely to be announced this month only.

On behest of the Election Commission, the Central government on December 27 last year advised all poll bound states to ramp up Covid vaccination for the eligible population at the earliest. The government also advised the concerned states to increase testing to arrest the exponential rise in coronavirus cases and its new variant Omicron.

The Union Home Ministry has extended the Covid-19 protocol and heath measures till January 31 throughout the country by order issued on December 27.

The Union Health Ministry has also issued directions to poll bound states for strict enforcement of Covid behaviour and to notify the new containment zones if the cases have been reported in a particular area or locations.

All five poll bound states have stated their latest vaccination updates in the last meeting on December 27 with the Union Health Ministry and the ECI officials, wherein Uttarakhand and Goa have reported vaccination coverage for the first and second dose higher than the national average, while Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur have reported that Covid-19 vaccination coverage numbers are below the national average.
(IANS)