Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Thursday accused the Centre of supplying fewer number of COVID-19 vaccine doses to the state in comparison to those ruled by the BJP. The minister claimed that the insufficient supply of vaccines has slowed down the pace of the vaccination drive in the state, adding that Punjab has the capacity to inoculate three lakh people per day.
Sidhu issued a statement here, saying vaccination data has revealed that the speed of the inoculation drive has increased manifold in BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
In MP, 17 lakh doses were administered on June 21, as against an average of 1.75 lakh doses per day before June 20, he said.
“It makes for a nine-fold increase in total which exposes the disparity being made by the government of India in supplying vaccines to the states,” the minister alleged.
Madhya Pradesh received 17 lakh doses in a day, while Punjab got just 16 lakh between June 1 and June 24, he claimed.
Sidhu said the gap between demand and supply is a matter of concern, and equal distribution of vaccines is important for the success of the immunisation drive.
Haryana witnessed a 7.14-fold increase in the administration of doses, Karnataka saw a 5.50-fold jump, Assam 5, Uttarakhand 3.80, Himachal Pradesh 3, Uttar Pradesh 2.29 and Gujarat 2.5, he claimed.
Sidhu further said that Punjab received just 17 lakh doses in the month of May. Despite the Centre assuring 21 lakh doses in June, it has given only 16 lakh vaccine doses, he said.
It shows the “uneven” supply of vaccines which is hitting the immunisation drive in Punjab, the minister said.
He demanded a supply of two lakh vaccine doses every day for Punjab.
