Karnataka Scraps No COVID-19 Vaccine, No Ration Policy

Karnataka: M R Ravi, the deputy commissioner of Chamarajanagar district, announced the beginning of a campaign to combat vaccination hesitancy on Tuesday.

D K Shivakumar, head of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, criticised the local administration's intention to make Covid-19 immunisation mandatory for ration and pension recipients.

The COVID-19 vaccination effort, which declared "no vaccination, no ration" and "no vaccination, no pension" has been discontinued by the Chamarajanagar district government in Karnataka. The campaign was set to begin on Wednesday to combat vaccination hesitancy. However, it was criticised, with DK Shivakumar, President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), calling the action "unconstitutional".

Shivakumar tweeted, "In Chamarajanagar, the BJP Govt says it won’t give ration or pension to those not vaccinated. But are there enough vaccines? Have they persuaded people to take vaccines? Such denial of basic food and pensions is illegal, unethical, and unconstitutional."

"BJP government and the Chamarajanagar administration have no shame. Their incompetence resulted in 36 deaths due to a lack of oxygen. They want to punish those who don’t take the vaccine, but they should first apologise for not arranging oxygen, vaccines, tests, and compensation for deaths," he added.