• Friday, March 29, 2024

HEADLINE STORY

Rajasthan govt threatens India media house over Covid vax wastage report, outlet hits back

Doctors attend a patient suffering from mucormycosis at the Maharao Bhimsingh Hospital on June 2, 2021 in Kota, Rajasthan, India. (Photo by Rebecca Conway/Getty Images)

By: Shubham Ghosh

Shubham Ghosh

At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fighting allegations that his government cares little about the freedom of the press, something unusual has happened in India’s biggest state Rajasthan. The state is ruled by the Congress and like its opponent Modi, the party has grabbed the headlines over a similar accusation: threatening a vernacular media house over its reports on massive wastage of Covid-19 vaccines in the state. This development has taken place despite Congress leader Rahul Gandhi repeatedly accusing the Modi government of mismanaging the current pandemic situation.

The Hindi media outlet, Dainik Bhaskar came up with a revealing report on May 31 showing several vials of Covid-19 vaccines being found from dustbins by its reporters. Rajasthan Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma slammed the report on Twitter saying it was false and misleading. He also threatened the news outlet with action over the report. He also claimed that the percentage of vaccine wastage in Rajasthan is less than two percent, much below the national average of six percent and the permissible limit of 10 percent. He even claimed that all protocol was followed on the usage of the vaccine vials.

Media outlet little concerned
Meanwhile, the Hindi national daily was in no mood to surrender and came up with a follow-up story saying the life-saving vaccines were not only being thrown among the garbage but also buried underground, across several hospitals in Rajasthan. A team from Bhaskar reportedly got into a 12-feet deep pit to see vials that were reportedly thrown away.

It has been alleged that Rajasthan has seen wastage of 1.15 million vaccine doses at a time when the country is struggling to inoculate all its citizens amid a devastating second wave of the pandemic. Some of the state’s rural areas have reportedly seen alarming level of wastage and even the central government has criticised the Congress-ruled state over the reports.

Rajasthan govt threatens India media house over Covid vax wastage report, outlet hits back
India’s Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan (fourth from left) at a meeting on coronavirus pandemic in New Delhi (Photo:Twitter)

BJP govt at Centre warns Rajasthan govt
India’s Jal Shakti (water power) Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who hails from Rajasthan, slammed the Gehlot government over the alleged vaccine wastage but the latter denied it. Principal Secretary Akhil Arora rubbished the media report but asked the district collectors to carry out a special audit of vaccination at those places that have come under the scanner. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan also asked the Rajasthan health department to investigate the reports of alleged wastage of vaccines. He wrote to Dr Sharma saying the report suggesting vials of vaccines found dumped in dustbins is something unacceptable and the matter must be investigated.

The latest revelations will add more to Chief Minister Gehlot’s discomfort since it was only recently that his government was accused of leasing out ventilators given under the PM-CARES Fund to private hospitals which were reportedly charging the patients exorbitant fees for using them. Rajasthan BJP MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore slammed the move and sought a probe into it.

Rajasthan has seen a declining trend in Covid-19 cases and the Gehlot government decided to relax some of the restrictions it imposed starting Wednesday, June 2.

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