Centre to take help of 90 lakh private security guards in Covid-19 vaccination drive

Vivek Bhardwaj, Additional Secretary at the MHA, said the Ministry would write to the Health Ministry to include private guards in the frontline workers list

As India eagerly awaits the launch of a Covid-19 vaccine, the Centre and health agencies will take the help of 90 lakh private security guards across India in the rollout of a mass vaccination drive against Covid-19, said Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy on Thursday.

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He was addressing the Annual Leadership Summit of the Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI) here.

“Private security industry will have a big role to play in the distribution of Coronavirus vaccine as it will be a big task for the government, police or officials to distribute and administer vaccine to 130 crore people across the country. With such a large workforce only security guards can ensure wider and faster distribution of vaccine and ensure that every household is covered in the vaccination programme,”(sic) said Reddy.

He also ensured that the Home Ministry will discuss GST regime relaxation for the private security industry with the Union Finance Ministry.

Speaking at the event, Vivek Bhardwaj, Additional Secretary at the MHA, said the Home Ministry would write to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry to include private guards in the frontline workers list so that they could also be inoculated in the first phase of the vaccination programme.

CAPSI Chairman Kunwar Vikram Singh said that the association has entered into tie-ups and agreements with various global agencies to improve the employability of private security guards globally.