Put PM Modi's pic on death certificates: NDA ally

Patna/New Delhi: Former Bihar Chief Minister and the president of the NDA ally in Bihar Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), Jitan Ram Manjhi has raised serious objection on using Prime Minister's photograph on vaccination certificates. Manjhi has said that PM Modi's photograph should be printed on death certificates of those patients who died due to corona in the country.

"Prime Minister is taking credit for corona vaccination in the country, his photograph should also be printed on death certificates of those patients who died due to corona in the country. It will be the real justification," Manjhi tweeted on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Centre told the Kerala High Court that India is producing over 8.5 crore vaccine doses a month.

The average number of vaccines administered across the country in a day is around 12 to 13 lakh, added the Centre, which has come under heavy opposition criticism over the crippling vaccine shortage in the country. According to the figures provided, the daily production is around 28.33 lakh, and only 57 per cent of this reaches the people.

Detailing its vaccination policy in an affidavit, the Centre told the Kerala High Court that there is "no fixed target for dispensation of vaccines to the States and Union Territories".

Giving data on vaccine production in the same affidavit, the Centre said currently, the Pune-based Serum Institute of India is producing 6.5 crore doses of Covishield a month. Covaxin manufacturer Bharat Biotech is producing 2 crore doses of a month.

Production of the Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus will begin in India this summer, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and pharmaceutical company Panacea Biotec announced on Monday. RDIF and Panacea have agreed to produce 100 million doses per year of Sputnik V.

With the 'power outage issue' and other 'technical glitches', Karnataka will see a 20 per cent drop in oxygen supply for the next two days after production was hit at two manufacturing plants in Bellari district, government officials said.