Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat attended the video conference presided over by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the anti-Covid-19 vaccination campaign to be conducted nation-wide from January 16. Explaining the various aspects of the campaign, the PM said that the Centre will purchase the vaccine and provide it free of cost to the States.

Apart from Covid, the PM also referred to bird flu and expected all the chief ministers to ensure proper and effective arrangements to tackle the disease.

After the meeting with the PM, the CM chaired a meeting with state officials to review arrangements for the campaign slated to start on January 16. He directed the officials to ensure that all necessary arrangements are made on time. Tasks like the formation of the state-level task force, strengthening the cold chain system in all districts, ensuring adequate space for storage and distribution of the vaccine along with arrangement of the required human resource for the tasks should be completed. The process of the recruitment of doctors, nursing and other paramedical staff should also be expedited, he said.

Regarding avian influenza, the CM said that necessary precautions should be observed. He directed officials of the animal husbandry, forest and health departments to work in coordination to make an effective action plan for prevention of bird flu. Chief secretary Om Prakash, health secretary Amit Singh Negi and secretary in-charge Pankaj Pandey were also present in the meeting.