Friday, 24 September 2021 | Gajendra Singh Negi | Dehradun
Data errata?
The DMs and the officers of the health department of Uttarakhand are under immense pressure to complete the target of 100 per cent vaccination of the entire 18 plus population before the end of this year. In their quest for increasing the pace of the vaccination the officials of some districts are finding that the actual number of the 18 plus people in their areas is less than the required figure of the beneficiaries to be vaccinated. The health department based its vaccination drive on the census data of the year 2011 and added the average annual increase in the population to it. It thus took up a target to administer two doses of vaccine to an estimated 80.50 lakh people who are above 18 years of age in the state which means that a total of 1.60 crore doses are needed to be administered. Though more than 1 crore doses have already been administered the officials in most of the districts are finding it difficult to find people to complete the stipulated target. In such a condition the department is now toying with the idea of getting a certificate from village Pradhan or Ward members that all people in their areas have been vaccinated so that Uttarakhand can be declared cent percent vaccinated in time.
Champ chastised
It turned out to be an anticlimax for a loudmouthed MLA of the ruling party known for his brusque ways and rough behaviour when he had to eat humble pie and apologise for his rudeness. The leader who likes to flaunt the image of a macho man got into an altercation recently with an elderly gentleman at the residence of a minister. The exchange of words took place on parking the vehicles outside the house of Mantri ji. The MLA shouted down the person in presence of the minister. A shocked minister then took the agitated gentleman inside his residence and requested him to calm down. Later the minister revealed the identity of the gentleman and told a dumbfounded MLA that the person he was shouting at is a senior functionary of RSS. The MLA then went inside the room where the gentleman was sitting and sought apology for his behavior by touching his feet.
Dalit logic
Congress stalwart Harish Rawat let the cat among the pigeons of his party recently by proclaiming that he wants that someone from the Dalit community becomes the Chief Minister (CM) of the Himalayan state. Understandably Rawat made his desire public during the Parivartan Yatra in Haridwar where Dalits constitute a powerful vote bank. As expected, Rawat’s statement evoked divergent and somewhat confused responses from senior leaders of the Congress party who consider themselves in reckoning for becoming the CM of the state. After having failed to convince the Congress high command to declare the CM candidate- read him- Rawat has now thrown the dice of the Dalit CM in the political board game of the Congress party. An astute politician that he is Rawat knows it well that his cherished dream of becoming CM of the state one more time can get fulfilled when there are many contenders for the top slot cutting down one other’s chance in case the party comes to power in the upcoming assembly election and he on the basis of sheer stature would take the cake.
