Evading Vaccine
The dismal response by the health workers for getting themselves vaccinated against Covid 19 has come as a blow to the concerted efforts on part of the authorities to decimate the virus which has wreaked havoc in the world by unleashing a pandemic of proportions not seen in recent history. In the Himalayan state a peculiar trend is emerging in which the health workers of mountainous districts are showing a much higher enthusiasm as compared to their counterparts in districts like Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar for receiving the vaccine jabs. It appears that the fast dwindling numbers of Covid-19 cases has made everyone somewhat complacent and this is getting reflected in poor turnouts at vaccination centres. The lack of enthusiasm among the health workers is much more concerning since they remained at the forefront of the war against the disease and have thus emerged as role models for the society. In such a situation the authorities should ponder over a plan to make the vaccination compulsory for everyone in the larger interest of society and humanity.
Shadow CM?
With the all important assembly elections of 2022 drawing near, the indomitable Harish Rawat is increasingly acting as a shadow CM of the state. In a recent public meeting in an area which is adjacent to the assembly constituency of CM Trivendra Singh Rawat and which once was represented by TSR himself, the AICC general secretary and member of the all powerful CWC was at his eloquent best. Amid applause from the spectators, Rawat said that he is the only one left the party among those who were made CM by the Congress. He promised that when his party comes in power, all the vacant posts in the government would be filled in a time bound manner and he would revive the post declared dead by the incumbent government. Continuing with his spree of assurances, Rawat said that he would also launch a ‘universal nutrition programme’ for the womenfolk of the state. One can draw two conclusions from Rawat’s promises. One he has got the green signal from the Congress high command to remain prepared to lead the party at the hustings and two that he is pushing the party leadership to such a position where it has no other option than declaring him as its CM candidate for the polls.
Showing the way
In an appreciable gesture which should be emulated by others in the Babudom of the Himalayan state where shirking of responsibilities and putting the onus of failures on subordinates are common, the MD of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) Neeraj Khairwal has included himself in an order which calls for proportionate deduction in the salary of engineers for failing to meet revenue targets. The powerful association of the engineers of the corporation was up in arms against the deduction order but its entire belligerence melted down when the MD told the representatives of the association calmly that the order applied on him as well. During the pandemic period this officer attracted attention when in the capacity of DM of Udham Singh Nagar district he had pledged half of his salary for six months in the Covid-19 fund.
Friday, 22 January 2021 | Gajendra Singh Negi | Dehradun
