Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today appealed to the people of the state to financially contribute to the vaccination drive to make it a ‘people participation’ movement.
Addressing a press conference, Sarma urged the people of the state to make Covid vaccination drive a mass movement.
Sarma said that the government has funds for the vaccination but he stressed on people’s participation by financially contributing at least one persons vaccination.
He said that 35 lakh people have been vaccinated so far in the state. Sarma informed that Rs 119 crore which was collected as a donation from the public during the first wave of pandemic will be entirely used to buy vaccines.
He said that for vaccinating a three crore plus population Assam has to spend nearly Rs 500-600 crore.
“The government at any case will buy the vaccine but I still appeal to the people to contribute to the cause by donating vaccines and making it a mass affair,” Sarma said.
Sarma said that the overall COVID situation during the last 3 days has shown a ray of hope.
As of May 19, Assam lodged 6,143 new cases of the coronavirus infection out of the 1,02,040 COVID-19 tests conducted, taking the total tally of cases in the state to over 3.47 lakh. The total active cases in the state, as of Wednesday, amount to 48,390.
89 cases of COVID-induced fatalities have been reported from Assam in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll in the state to 2,433 cases.
