Mad rush after ‘no vaccine, no ration’ rumour spreads in Odisha town

Sundargarh/Bhubaneswar: Large number of people including women turned up outside different hospitals in Bonai Sub-Division of Sundargarh district to get Covid vaccine today as talks have been doing rounds that families covered under the food security act will not be provided food grains if they do not take the jab.

Many of them from faraway places of Bonai were seen with small children lining up outside different hospitals in the sub-division. Similar scene was seen outside the Boani Sub-Division Hospital, Lahunipada hospital and Gurundia hospital. Some were standing in a queue outside hospitals since 3 AM today.

A woman standing in the queue said talks have been doing rounds that if anyone having a ration card do not get vaccinated by August 15, the concerned person will not be able to get food grains. In view of these talks, many people have come to the hospital to receive the jab.

Another person from Bonai said many people who are unable to stand in the queue in a sunny day and women with children have been standing the queue outside the hospital to get Covid vaccine. But, it does not look like everyone will get the vaccine, he added.

Requesting people not to believe such rumours Minister for Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Ranendra Pratap Swain stated neither the State government nor the district administration has issued any directive on deletion of the name of any beneficiary of the food security if the concerned person does not get the Covid jab.

Bonai Sub-Collector Pradeep Kumar Dang said the Sundargarh district administration has not given any such directive. The BDO will create awareness among people to ensure that they do not believe such rumours, he said, adding the people will be vaccinated in phases.