The Jharkhand Government has filed an interlocutory application before the Supreme Court seeking intervention of the court to direct the Central government to allow Amritvahini App as an alternative for registration of vaccination so that maximum number of people are vaccinated and protected from Covid 19. Notably, the Supreme Court is hearing several cases related to Covid 19.
The Government submitted that for common people the registration process for vaccination has become quite lengthy hence the Central government should allow Amritvahini App as an alternative online platform for people to register for vaccination. Besides, in the petition, the government has raised other issues also. Amritvahini App has been developed by Jharkhand Government.
The Jharkhand Government pointed out that in Jharkhand the total population of people of 18-45 age group is 1.4 crore and this age group needs immediate vaccination before the third wave of coronavirus hits the people.
Currently, people log on to cowin.gov.in website for registration that requires a smartphone. Jharkhand government contended that registration through Cowin is very lengthy.
This has adversely affected the pace of vaccination in Jharkhand as there is a sizeable population that doesn’t use smart phones. Jharkhand Government claimed that Amritvahini App works both online and offline hence Amritvahini App should be allowed as an alternative.
The Government further stated that 48 per cent population of Jharkhand lives in scheduled areas, where digital literacy rate is quite low hence in such a situation it will be tough for the Government to conduct vaccination among such people.
In another development, Jharkhand High court suo moto hearing matters related to Covid-19 in Jharkhand directed Jharkhand Government to file an affidavit over 230 oxygen cylinders have apparently gone missing in Hazaribagh district.
The bench of Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad made an oral observation that while people are dying due to lack of oxygen cylinder reports are coming that oxygen cylinders have gone missing.
The bench also quashed a PIL against the e-pass system introduced by the Jharkhand Government for the period of lockdown. The PIL was filed by Dhurwa resident Rajan Kumar Singh in which he had pointed out loopholes in the e-pass system stating that e-pass has been made mandatory even when someone is going to market to fetch milk and vegetables. The bench said that this is the part of the policy decision of the Government to control Covid-19 virus.