New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that Covid-19 vaccine distribution should involve state and UT governments and civil society organizations. He convened a review meeting under his chairmen ship on Saturday. In the meeting they reviewed arrangements for the delivery and distribution of Covid-19 vaccine-which one is made available.

The meeting pointing to India’s successful conduct of national elections, Modi suggested that vaccine distribution should involve state and UT governments and civil society organizations, and have a strong IT backbone that will boost India’s healthcare system.

He also called for “speedy access” to the vaccine for all members of the population and directed officials to keep in mind the “geographical span and diversity of the country” when planning logistics. Government in a press statement on Saturday said that, Modi said every step in the process had to be rigorously tested, and had to include planning for cold storage of vaccine doses, mechanisms to monitor vaccination clinics, and the preparation and stockpiling of ancillary equipment like syringes.

NEGVAC is working in consultation with states and UTs, as well as all relevant stakeholders, to prepare a detailed blueprint for the storage, distribution and administration of the Covid vaccine, the government said. Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said the government planned to vaccinate around 25 crore people – primarily front line health workers – by July 2021. This is the second such meeting the Prime Minister has led in the past 48 hours and comes after the Health Ministry reported an “unprecedented” achievement this morning – that active Covid cases in the country dropped below eight lakh for the first time in 46 days.

The country continues to record tens of thousands of new cases per day – over 62,000 were reported in the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry. However, the number of people recovering from the infection was higher – over 70,000. The Prime Minister focused on vaccine delivery in Thursday’s meeting as well, taking stock of mechanisms for adequate procurement, and technologies for stockpiling of vaccine doses.

Three potential vaccines are in advanced stages of development in India, of which two are in Phase II and the other – Covishield, which was developed jointly by the University of Oxford and pharma giant AstraZeneca – is in Phase III.