Health: Government think tank, NITI Aayog, has written to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) requesting them to allow frontline workers at nonprofits to be vaccinated at the earliest.
In its letter to the ministry, it said, “As the NGO frontline workers are engaged in the serving of communities, they should be considered for vaccination on a priority basis. Therefore, it is requested to direct all concerned to prioritise vaccination of NGO frontline workers as early as possible”.
Amod K Kanth, the joint coordinator of the NITI-Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Standing Committee, had requested NITI Aayog to prioritise vaccination of members of nonprofits working at the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19. The request has now been forwarded to the MoHFW by Muniraju SB, who is a deputy adviser at the government think tank.
At present only government frontline workers, persons aged above 60 years, and those above 45 years with co-morbidities are allowed to get the vaccine, in addition to officials on election duty.
Civil society organisations have been playing a very important role in combating the COVID-19-induced crisis. From mobilising communities to delivering rations, medicines, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to manning helplines during the lockdown, civil society has been doing it all to help the most vulnerable sections of society.
Read this article on the role of civil society in times of crisis.