1.87 lakh prisoners get Covid 19 doses: UP, Maharashtra lead; Punjab lags

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 6

State governments have so far administered 1,87,453 Covid 19 vaccination doses to prisoners lodged in jails across India.

Uttar Pradesh with the administration of 27,019 doses leads the charts followed by Maharashtra at 23,051, Bihar 18,358, Odisha 18,329 and Madhya Pradesh 15,806.

Among major states, Punjab is a laggard on the indicator having inoculated 2,524 prisoners, while the number of doses administered by Haryana is 9,978, Himachal Pradesh 847, Jammu and Kashmir 2,461 and Uttrakhand 4,652.

Delhi government has administered just two Covid 19 doses while Chandigarh has administered none, as per the reply given by the Ministry of Health to Lok Sabha today.

The ministry said Covid-19 vaccination of prisoners is included and recorded under the vaccination of ‘Persons without Prescribed Identity Cards’ which includes nomads, prison inmates, inmates in Mental Health Institutions, citizens in Old Age Homes, road side beggars, people residing in rehabilitation centres/camps and any other identified eligible persons, aged 18 years or more, and not having any of the nine prescribed individual Photo ID Cards.

“The Government of India has shared a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) regarding Covid-19 Vaccination of Persons without Prescribed Identity Cards through Co-WIN with all States/UTs in May 2021. It is expected that eligible beneficiaries aged 18 years and above, including prisoners, will be vaccinated by December 2021,” the ministry said.