Six May (Language) The Chhattisgarh government has postponed the Kovid-19 vaccination campaign for people aged between 18 and 44, following a directive from the High Court.
Senior state officials said on Thursday that the state government has issued an order suspending the vaccination campaign for the age group of 18 to 44 years.
The order states that the state government has constituted a committee of secretaries under the chairmanship of the chief secretary following the instructions of the Chhattisgarh High Court to vaccinate this age group.
Since various aspects have to be considered as per the High Court directive, it is likely to take some time to submit its recommendations to the committee.
The order said that the High Court has ordered the state government’s April 30 order to be amended and said that the ratio of vaccination for Antyodaya, BPL and APL categories should be decided by the state government.
It is likely to take some time for the state government to determine the ratio. In the meantime, if only Antyodaya beneficiaries were vaccinated, then it could be considered as a violation of the order of the High Court, hence the immunization of 18-44 years of age is postponed in compliance with the High Court order.
On April 30, before the vaccination campaign for beneficiaries above 18 years of age started in the country, the state government issued an order on April 30, deciding to prioritize the vaccination of Antyodaya card holders in the state.
Advocates of the High Court said that five petitioners had filed petitions registering objection against this order of the state government.
It was stated in the petitions that this decision of classification in vaccination is contrary to the constitutional rights of the citizens. All the petitions demanded immediate repeal of the order and a new policy so that people of all classes could get the benefit of vaccination without any discrimination.
Advocates said that on Tuesday, the High Court directed the state government to make a clear policy on vaccination by modifying the order of first immunization of Antyodaya card holders by the state government so that people of all classes could benefit from it.