The Government of India is not allowing the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to import the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from the US to treat Covid patients despite the help being extended by the American Sikh organizations in the wake of acute shortage of the vaccines in the Indian Union.
This was disclosed by the SGPC president Jagir Kaur while addressing a press conference here.
She said the SGPC had written to the government of India for granting permission to use and import Pfizer vaccine from the USA, but no response has been received so far. “The Sikh organisations of America want to help SGPC by facilitating the supply of the vaccine, but the government of India is acting as an obstruction”, she added.
She said that the Sikh organisation had arranged 5,000 Covid-19 vaccines, which will be administered to the people free of cost.
In this regard, SGPC is organising a free vaccination camp in front of the Information Center plaza at Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib on May 29 at Amritsar.
The SGPC president disclosed this on Thursday while formally inaugurating the Coviserv campaign of the Rajasthan based Prandharin Trust, under which this organisation will help those families which have lost their family member(s) to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said that the SGPC always remains active for the welfare of humanity, and in the present time of Covid-19, it is continuously providing services in the interest of humanity. She said that the SGPC is running eight Covid care centres in Punjab.
“Furthering these services, the SGPC has arranged to administer 5,000 doses of Covaxin, and an amount of about Rs 53 lakh has been spent for this cause. These vaccines will be provided to the people free of cost. The free Covid-19 vaccination camp will be held near the Information Center plaza at Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib on May 29. I appeal to the sangat (devotees) to take benefit of this camp and visit the camp with their Aadhar identity card”, said SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur.
She added that the SGPC had purchased two pressure swing absorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants, and a generator will produce 1,000 liters of oxygen per minute.
“SGPC’s motive is to establish a 150-bed ventilator ward so that the patients can be taken care of”, said Jagir Kaur.
She thanked the sangat (devotees) settled abroad by supporting the Sikh body by providing oxygen concentrators for its Covid care centres.
She questioned the Punjab government by saying that, “Today, special arrangements have been made in many districts of Punjab to deal with Covid-19, which is the reason why people are falling prey to this pandemic at a large scale in the state.”
Meanwhile, Bibi Jagir Kaur welcomed the campaign launched by the Prandharin Trust of Rajasthan to take care of the families of the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic and said that it would benefit the family members of those who lost their lives due to Covid-19.
Prandharin Trust honorary trustee Dr Sanjeev Kumar Das (a Rajasthan Civil Servant) is posted as deputy commissioner at General Provident Fund at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, said, “Under the Coviserv campaign, the families of Covid-19 victims would be made self-reliant and independent through our organisation’s training programmes. The families of Covid-19 victims from across India would be able to register at our Pran application, after which the trust would provide them with the necessary assistance. This is a long-term campaign.”
Dr Sanjeev said, “There was no greater example for service to mankind than Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib and SGPC; hence the Coviserv campaign has been launched from here.”
Dr Sanjeev thanked Jagir Kaur for her support.
