Aurangabad, June 17:
A massive vaccination campaign has been launched in the city to counter Covid-19. However, lakhs of company workers falling in the age group of 18-44 years are deprived of vaccination. The industries, on the other hand, have to spend lakhs of rupees on getting the employees vaccinated. But despite paying money, many companies are facing difficulties in vaccinating their employees.
The district administration had asked all the companies to test and vaccinate the workers to continue operations. Therefore, companies have to buy a vaccine from private hospitals for Rs 900 to Rs 1,500. But only large companies can afford to spend such a large amount of money on vaccination. Till date, ten large companies have bought the vaccine and given it to the workers, while other companies are trying to get the vaccine. A small and medium company has at least 300 to 800 employees. Therefore, these companies cannot spend lakhs of rupees for RT-PCR tests and vaccinations. Large companies can bear the cost, but small and micro entrepreneurs are facing severe problems. Therefore, the industrial associations are demanding that either the administration should permit the workers to get vaccinated at the government vaccination centers or that vaccines should be made available for the industrial sector by the corporation and the district administration.
60 per cent workforce left out
Vaccination is important for industrial workers. But nearly 60 per cent industrial workers fall below the age group of 44 years, they cannot get vaccinated at government vaccination centres. Meanwhile, industries are organizing vaccination camps, but SMEs cannot afford to spend lakhs of rupees on vaccination in private hospitals. We have already requested the administration to provide vaccines for the industrial sector at low cost, said Massia president Narayan Pawar.