Mallikarjun Kharge Criticizes PM Modi Over Vaccination Failures
New Delhi [India], July 17: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government for its alleged failure to vaccinate 16 lakh children under the ‘Mission Indradhanush’ program. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of caring only for vanity and neglecting the immunization needs of children.
Allegations of Neglect
Kharge termed the failure to vaccinate as a ‘cardinal sin’ and claimed that children missed out on key vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTP), and measles in 2023. He also alleged that around half of the applications for assistance to children who became orphans during the COVID pandemic were rejected by the PM CARES Fund without any reasons.
Importance of Mission Indradhanush
Mission Indradhanush, launched in 2014 by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, aims to ensure that routine immunization services reach children and pregnant women who might have missed or dropped out of vaccination programs. The Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) provides free vaccines against 12 life-threatening diseases to 26 million children annually.
Kharge’s Statements
In a post on X, Kharge stated, ‘Modi Govt has committed a cardinal sin by not vaccinating lakhs of children. Neglect of immunization means loss of precious lives. The gains of India’s strong foundation in immunization laid by the Congress party have been shamelessly wasted by the Modi Govt.’
He further added, ‘The rank apathy and flagrant disdain for COVID orphan children exposed by media reports shows, nearly 50% of applications for assistance to such children were rejected by #PMCARES Fund, without providing any reasons! @narendramodi ji, how will we ensure ‘Viksit Bharat’ if our children aren’t taken care of? In reality PM CARES only for vanity!’
India’s Immunization Programme
India’s immunization programme, launched in 1985, is one of the largest health programmes in the world, catering to 27 million children annually. The Universal Immunization Programme provides life-saving vaccines to all children across the country free of cost to protect them against various diseases.
Doubts Revealed
Mallikarjun Kharge -: Mallikarjun Kharge is a senior leader of the Congress party in India. He is currently the President of the Congress party.
PM Modi -: PM Modi refers to Narendra Modi, who is the Prime Minister of India. He is the leader of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party).
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party. It is one of the major political parties in India and is currently in power.
Mission Indradhanush -: Mission Indradhanush is a government program in India aimed at vaccinating children and pregnant women against various diseases.
COVID orphans -: COVID orphans are children who lost their parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
PM CARES Fund -: The PM CARES Fund is a public charitable trust in India set up to deal with emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. It collects donations to help people in need.