Mamata Banerjee fumes over PM's photo on vaccination cert: 'Put on death certificates too'

Fuming against the Centre, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, claimed that one did not have the freedom to choose on having PM Modi's photo on their vaccination certificate. She added that as there was no freedom there, the PM should also allow his photo on death certificates too. Banerjee had herself put her photo on the vaccination certificates of recipients aged 18-44 when the state was procuring vaccines directly from manufacturers.

Mamata to PM: 'Put your photo on death certificates'

“A person may not be your supporter. But you made it mandatory that your photo should be there on Covid-19 vaccine certificates. I may not like you. But even then, I would have to carry this. Where is the freedom? Now, you should allow your photo on death certificates too,” she said at a Nabanna press conference.

On Tuesday, the Centre had informed Rajya Sabha that PM Modi's photo on the COVID-19 vaccination certificate is to 'reinforce the message for creating awareness'. A question was raised in the upper house of the Parliament on whether it is necessary and compulsory to print photographs of the Prime Minister on the COVID vaccination certificate. In the written reply, the MoS also added that it is to aware people to follow the COVID-appropriate behaviour even after getting their anti-coronavirus jabs. 

"The photograph along with the message of the prime minister in the vaccination certificates reinforces the message for creating awareness about the importance of following Covid-19 appropriate behaviour even after vaccination, in the larger public interest," said MoS Health Bharati Pravin Pawar. The MoS also clarified that the format of the vaccination compliances with the World Health Organization's (WHO) norms- message and presentation about the importance of following the protocols even after vaccination. 'All states and Union Territories are using CoWIN application for Covid-19 vaccination and vaccination certificates are generated through CoWIN in a standard format,' the minister said.

India's vaccination drive

After the rollback of the decentralized vaccine procurement policy, the Centre has started procuring 75% of the vaccine stock and distributing it to the states for free from June 21 onwards. Centre has stated that more than 52.63 crore doses have been administered til date. As of date, a total of 52,89,27,844 persons have been inoculated whereas 11,78,59,424 of them have received the second dose of the vaccine too. India's active caseload is 3,87,987 with 3,12,60,050 recoveries.