Letters to the editor dated June 8, 2021

This refers to the Editorial ‘On the right course’. As they say, better late than never. At last Prime Minister Modi has agreed to the Opposition States’ demands that the Centre should take sole responsibility of procuring vaccines. This will release the pressure from States and they must now focus on increasing the pace of vaccination and reducing the wastage. We must strive towards vaccinating all our people within the next 6 months. Besides, it is also heartening that the Centre has also increased the timeline for free foodgrain till November.

Noida

Paying heed to the sane suggestions from different quarters to effect a course correction in the Centre’s vaccination policy against Covid-19, which the Supreme Court had rightly denounced as arbitrary and irrational, Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally announced through his televised address that the Centre will procure 75 per cent of the vaccines for all age groups and will be administered free.

His government’s earlier decision to let States procure vaccines for the age group 18-44 directly from manufacturers by anchoring in differential pricing regime had literally threw a spanner in the vaccination drive by forcing States to compete against each other for an increasingly scarce public good. While a total of 23 crore doses have been administrated so far, the pace of vaccination still left lot to be desired. With the ball now back in the Centre’s court, care must be taken to ensure vaccination does reach all the sections of the society without any hassles.

Sholavandan (TN)

This refers to the editorial ‘On the right course’. After a rap from the Apex court and all States in unison advocating central procurement , the Centre had eventually buckled and took over sole responsibility for procuring vaccines. Importantly distribution of vaccines to respective States ought not be at the whim and fancy of the Centre as that would make the non-BJP ruled States cry foul. This humongous task of inoculation can be accomplished if both the Centre and States work in unison and rise above petty and acrimonious politics.

Lastly leave it to voters to decide how the Modi government fared in management of the pandemic. Also no amount of damage control measures can bring back the loved ones lost to Covid.

Noida

Apropos ‘Imran Khan's growing debt headache’ (June 8), indeed Pakistan’s attempts at globalising the Kashmir issue has come to nought. Now Pakistan reels under severe debt trap, laid by its all weather friend China. Pakistan's external debt of $115 billion in which it has indebted to China alone for $65 billion on CPEC projects. Hence Pakistan is being pressured by it army cabinet to promote economic cooperation and pull back confrontation with India and go for debt clearance.

The global pandemic and the internaĺ pressure have clipped the wings of Pakistan’s anti India-moves. It has to concentrate on its debt clearance, humongous balance of payment deficit and ballooning budgetary deficit, failing which it will fall a prey tò China's “build,operate and take over” formula and face a severe economic crisis.

Sivakasi

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