Mayawati demands free coronavirus vaccine for poor

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati called for providing coronavirus vaccine to the poor free of charge, ahead of a meeting between the prime minister and chief ministers on the pandemic situation and the ongoing inoculation drive on Wednesday.

In a tweet in Hindi, Mayawati said that if the coronavirus vaccination is expedited by the central and state governments as a national policy, it would be better.

"The BSP once again appeals to the Centre and state governments to make the vaccine free for families of poor," she said in another tweet.

Prime Minister Modi's interaction with chief ministers on the COVID-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination drive comes as the Centre looks to ramp up the inoculation exercise amid a rise in infection in some states.