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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday appealed to people who have taken both doses of coronavirus vaccines to continue adhering to COVID-19-appropriate behaviour and cautioned against crowding at tourist places.
Speaking to reporters here after a review meeting, Pawar said in light of a shortage of vaccine doses, inoculation centres are closed in the Pune district for the last two days.
“The district has surpassed the 50-lakh vaccination mark…but for the last two days, all the centres are closed as vaccine doses are not available. There is a possibility that we might get vaccines tomorrow,” he said.
He added that it has been observed that those who have taken both doses of vaccines are a bit lax in following COVID-19 norms like using face masks when outdoors and maintaining social distancing.
“I would like to request all such people to kindly continue to use masks, maintain physical distancing and hand hygiene,” Pawar said.
The NCP leader said he has given instructions to the police to strictly implement coronavirus norms at tourist places, where people are thronging after relaxations in curbs, and take strong action against those flouting them.
Asked about the creation of a new Cooperation Ministry by the Modi government, Pawar said it was entirely Centre’s prerogative, but it was not yet clear what the department will do.
“The cooperative sector came into existence 100 years ago and the respective states made their laws. The Centre should do their work and the state should do theirs,” he said.
“What is the purpose behind creating the ministry, what exactly they want to do by creating the ministry will be clear once they come out with proper rules,” added Pawar, who is also the finance minister.
He, however, said the cooperative sector comes under the purview of state governments, while multi-state cooperatives fall under the Centre’s ambit.
Pawar said the cooperative movement has flourished in Maharashtra and there are a “handful of wrong people” in the sector, but because of that functioning of the entire cooperative segment can not be questioned.
