Assam links government scheme benefits to COVID-19 vaccine

Vaccination status of people will be checked before rolling out schemes for the beneficiaries : Health Minister Keshab Mahanta

Beneficiaries wait in a queue to receive a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at a centre in Nagaon district of Assam. File

The Assam government has decided to link welfare schemes to the COVID-19 vaccination status of the beneficiaries.

Health Minister Keshab Mahanta said anyone not vaccinated with both doses will be deprived of the benefits of all state government schemes.

“From next month (November), we will check the vaccination status of people while rolling out the schemes for the beneficiaries,” he said.

The Minister also said the government has set the goal to vaccinate 3 crore people aged 18 years and above. According to the draft National Register of Citizens published in August 2019, Assam has 3.3 crore people.

Munindra Nath Ngatey, the Director of Assam’s Health Services, said vaccine hesitancy among a section of the people has remained a worry for the government. “Unless they get vaccinated early, the possibility of their infecting others cannot be ruled out,” he said.

He added that an estimated 85% of the adult population in Assam received the first dose.

The State currently has 2,535 active COVID-19 cases.