Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to skip Covid-19 review meeting with PM Modi today

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will skip the meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday with all chief ministers to discuss the Covid-19 situation and vaccination drive.

Mamata Banerjee has cited her election campaign in poll-bound West Bengal as the reason for her unavailability. Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay will attend the Covid-19 review meeting.

The West Bengal CM had skipped the last meeting called by the Centre on March 17 as well.

The prime minister's second interaction with chief ministers within a month comes as Covid-19 cases in the country breached the 1-lakh mark thrice in four days. Covid-19 cases in India hit a record daily high on Thursday, with 1,26,789 new infections being reported.

The issue of vaccine shortage flagged by some states like Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh is likely to be discussed in the meeting. The Centre, however, had rejected claims of vaccine shortage. In recent weeks, some chief ministers have joined the chorus for relaxing age criteria for Covid-19 vaccination.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi took his second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at AIIMS in Delhi, and asked those eligible for the shot to take it soon to defeat the coronavirus.

Ahead of the PM's interaction, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan held a meeting with health ministers of 11 states and Union Territories on Tuesday.

In the earlier meeting, PM Modi had expressed concern over the rise in Covid-19 cases in parts of the country and called for "quick and decisive" steps to check the "emerging second peak".

Modi had said the five-fold strategy of testing, tracing, treatment, Covid-appropriate behaviour and vaccination, if implemented with utmost seriousness and commitment, would be effective in curbing the spread of the pandemic.

(With inputs from Anupam Mishra)