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“No state is safe unless all the states adopt vaccination as their top priority and execute it on a war footing. But this cannot be a battle among the states to compete against each other to procure vaccines,” read the letter.
He wrote that many states have floated global tender for vaccines. But the global manufacturers are not willing to deal with the states directly and are looking to the central government for clearance and assurance. He also mentioned that domestic manufacturers are facing supply constraints.
“The best option available is for the government of India to centrally procure the vaccines and distribute it among the states so that our citizens are vaccinated at the earliest,” read the letter.
He urged the governments of both the BJP-ruled and opposition-ruled states to come to a consensus on the issue for an early resolution of the problem. “We should act fast before any third wave comes and creates further havoc,” he wrote. “This is the greatest challenge we have faced together as a nation since independence. We will set aside whatever differences we have and come together in the true spirit of cooperative federalism for saving precious lives and hard-earned livelihoods.”
Patnaik also spoke to some of the chief ministers such as West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
Banerjee said she has discussed the issue of universal vaccination with Naveen Patnaik. “The Odisha CM also wants universal vaccination and it is a difficult proposition for states to procure vaccines themselves. I am also in favour of universal vaccination and it should be free of cost for everyone and the Centre, not states, should procure it.”
Banerjee said Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan had also written a letter to the Centre, proposing universal vaccination. “We all are proposing the idea and most of the states support it,” she said.
Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Kejriwal too have been demanding procurement by the Centre.
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