Step taken to ensure 1cr Covid jabs every month: PM
Bangladesh will get 2cr doses of Covid-19 vaccine from Sinopharm every month From October, and the country will have 6cr doses by December, Sheikh Hasina said
The government has taken steps to carry out more than one crore Covid-19 inoculations every month, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told Parliament on Wednesday.
Answering a tabled question from ruling party lawmaker Shahiduzzaman Sarker during the question-answer session, she added, "So far [till 30 August] some 1,82,89,018 people have received the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, while 78,40,169 received the second jab.
"Bangladesh has provided 2,61,29,187 doses of vaccines till that date. Moreover, we are continuing to procure more doses and providing free jabs to the people."
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According to the schedule, from this October, Bangladesh will get two crore doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Sinopharm every month, and the country will have six crore doses by December, she added.
Discussing the steps to procure the vaccine, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, "Initially, the government had contacted all vaccine producing companies. Among them, India's Serum Institute responded, and we booked three crore doses of their vaccine with advance payment.
"At that time, no other vaccine producing companies had responded to our query."
She continued, "Later, China's Sinopharm and Russia's Sputnik-V responded, and we immediately took the initiative to procure those doses. We have inked an agreement with Sinopharm and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for local production as well.
Responding to another query from Jatiya Party lawmaker Shamim Haider Patwari, Sheikh Hasina said, "The government has taken an initiative to ensure a permanent solution to river erosion.
"The government has taken up Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 for river management, water supply in urban and rural areas, waste management and flood control, along with ensuring flood protection, control river erosion, river training and maintaining navigability."
She added that the government is currently conducting a survey by dividing the country into seven river basins, and such surveys have already been completed in Sangu, Karnaphuli, and Matamuhiri rivers.
"By taking steps to maintain sustainability through increasing water flow capacity in rivers and employing an appropriate siltation management strategy, Bangladesh will be able to reduce risks of flood and protect the erosion-prone areas," she said.
Replying to a question posed by ruling party lawmaker Mahfuzur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina said, "Bangladesh met the demand of sacrificial animals through domestic production in the last four years due to various steps taken by the government.
"During the last Eid-al-Adha, the number of available animals was around 1,19,16,700, and 90,93,242 were sacrificed. So, around 28 lakh animals remained as surplus. Besides, in the past 12 years, milk production increased five times, while egg production rose by four times.
'Khaleda brought perpetrators of 15 August carnage to parliament'
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said Ziaur Rahman had awarded the killers of 15 August carnage by giving them jobs at embassies alongside indemnity, while Khaleda Zia went one step further by bringing the killers to the parliament of the people.
She remarked in the Parliament while participating in an obituary reference over the deaths of MP Prof Ali Ashraf (Cumilla-7), seven former lawmakers including a state minister, and some noted personalities. The obituary reference was later adopted unanimously.
Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury moved the condolence motion in Parliament at the beginning of the 14th session.
