India will tap skill in conducting elections to deliver vaccine
Administration usually begins preparations for federal election almost a year in advance
New Delhi: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked his officials to prepare for a speedy delivery of COVID-19 vaccine to every citizen of the country by using the nation’s experience in successfully conducting the world’s biggest elections and disaster management programs.
The federal government has to collaborate with others, including states and civil society organisations, for distributing the vaccine, Modi said on Saturday according to a government statement, after assessing the pandemic situation in the country. The administration must plan for cold storage chains, monitoring mechanisms, and advance assessment, according to the statement.
The South Asian nation’s experience in handling the complex task of holding elections in the world’s second-most populous country could help put in place a plan for distribution of the vaccine once it’s ready. The administration usually begins preparations for logistic and security arrangements for the federal election in the nation of 1.3 billion almost a year in advance.
The number of COVID-19 fatalities in India is 114,031, while 6.6 million have recovered from the disease. It has been about 37 weeks since the first case was reported in India.