Adhir writes to LS Speaker, seeks early PAC meet to discuss COVID vaccination policy

New Delhi [India], May 14 : Congress leader in Lok Sabha and chairman of the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for an early PAC meeting to deliberate upon the pandemic situation and the government's Covid-19 vaccination policy.
"Today, the Policy towards vaccinating the people for tackling the Covid-19 pandemic has become central and of utmost importance. As the lives and livelihood of the people of the Country as a whole are dependant on an effective "Vaccination Policy", I would request you to kindly permit the Public Accounts Committee to meet and deliberate upon this subject matter with the representatives of the Government i.e, the Ministry of Health, ICMR and others concerned (By any mode either physical or virtual, depending upon the Covid situation)", the Congress leader said in a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla suggesting that the PAC should deliberate on an effective vaccination policy.
In the letter, Chowdhury wrote, "At first, I would like to thank and also compliment you for ensuring that the Public Accounts Committee, as well as the other Financial Committees, were constituted well in time i.e. w.e.f. 1 May, 2021 for the current year's term (2021-22)."
"Unfortunately however, neither the Public Accounts Committee, which has a key role to play in our Parliamentary system nor any other Parliamentary Committee is in position to meet either in a formal Sitting the precincts of the Parliament, or virtually, at this critical time. I need not impress upon you the fact that the Parliament and its Committees, and the Public Accounts Committee in particular have a serious responsibility to discharge by way of discussing, deliberating and giving suggestions and recommendations on ways of tackling and resolving the problems currently confronting us owing to the Covid-19 pandemic", Chowdhury wrote in the letter.
"There have been numerous occasions in the past where, with the permission or the direction of the Hon'ble Speaker, the Public Accounts Committee has met and taken up matters of larger concern for discussion, deliberation and making observations and recommendations thereon to the Government to act upon", he said.
"Given the seriousness of the issues confronting us, and going by the past precedents and practise, I would once again request you to permit the Committee to meet at the earliest to discuss and deliberate on the Vaccination Policy being pursued for tackling the Covid-19 pandemic", he wrote.
Earlier, Chowdhury had written a letter to Om Birla requesting to convene a special session of the Parliament to discuss the current health emergency due to COVID-19.