Centre has allocated only 15 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses to Delhi in July: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia

As the Centre initiated the free universal Covid-19 vaccination in the country, the AAP-led Delhi government on Monday said it will be getting only 15 lakh vaccines next month which is way below its requirement but the Narendra Modi government was pressurising its officials to issue advertisements "thanking" the Prime Minister for free vaccines.

Calling the Centre's vaccination initiative as the world's most "messed up, derailed" programme, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the national capital is not getting free vaccines for this month beyond June 21.

"There are 2.94 crore doses are needed for Delhi and only 57 lakh has been allocated so far...In July, Delhi has been allocated 15 lakh free vaccines...At this pace, it will take another 15-16 months to vaccinate the capital's entire population," Sisodia said during a digital address.

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"You have been saying India has been conducting the largest vaccination drive globally, but it has turned out to be the most mismanaged, derailed and messed up exercise in the world," he said.

Sisodia said the capital would need 2.30 crore more doses but the Centre is allocating only 15 lakh for the next month. "The Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal) has already said that we will inoculate all people in Delhi within two months if we are given the required doses," he said.

Referring to the advertisements by BJP-led government states in Delhi newspapers, Sisodia claimed that Delhi government officials were "pressurised" by the Centre to issue advertisements "thanking Modi"

There are "no vaccines but advertisements are there. If the money spent on advertisements are used on vaccines, states could buy from abroad also. What we need is not advertisements but vaccines", he added.