Sonia Gandhi asks party workers to pressure government for vaccinations, work to address vaccine hesitancy

By Siddharth Sharma
New Delhi [India], June 24 : Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said the party must continue its Covid-relief work and play an active role in ensuring full COVID-19 vaccination coverage and ensure vaccine hesitancy wherever evident is overcome.
The Congress president was addressing a meeting of party general secretaries and in-charges of AICC in various States.
"It is absolutely essential that our party plays an active role in ensuring full vaccination coverage. At the national level, the daily rate of vaccination has to treble so that 75 per cent of our population gets fully vaccinated by end of this year. No doubt, this is dependent entirely on the adequacy of vaccine supply. We must continue to put pressure on the Union government which has, at our Party's insistence, finally taken on the responsibility for this. At the same time, we have to ensure that registration takes place, that vaccine hesitancy wherever evident is overcome and vaccine wastage is minimised," said Sonia Gandhi in the virtual meeting.
The Congress interim President said that the party needs to give urgent attention to the possible third wave of COVID-19 and has to take steps to be better prepared if and when it strikes.
"Experts are already talking of a possible third wave a few months from now. Some of them have been pointing to the vulnerability of children in the coming months. This too requires our urgent attention and we must take proactive measures so that they are spared this calamity. We have to take steps to be better prepared if and when this strikes," she said.
She further said that the second wave has been devastating for lakhs and lakhs of individual families all over the country and it must be taken as a learning experience so that people do no not have to relive the traumatic experience.
Talking about the rise in fuel prices in the coutnry, Sonia Gandhi said that agitations have been organised to highlight how the hike in prices have been hurting farmers and millions of families.
"You are all aware of the intolerable burden being imposed by rising fuel prices. Agitations have been organised to highlight how it is hurting farmers and millions of families. But quite apart from fuel, prices of many other essential commodities like pulses and edible oils too have skyrocketed causing wide-spread distress," said Gandhi.
She added that this price rise is taking place at a time when livelihoods are being lost in unprecedented numbers, when there is mounting unemployment and when economic recovery is not a reality.
"I want to place on record our deep sense of appreciation for the efforts of so many of our colleagues in extending and mobilising relief during these past troubled months. The Youth Congress has deservedly drawn support for its outreach but there are Congressmen and Congresswomen across the country who have engaged themselves in relief activities. That is the Congress Party's finest tradition of community service. We must continue our effort," she added.
Sonia Gandhi said that the control rooms and helpline numbers will continue to function and emergency services like ambulances and essential medicines should continue to be provided.