New Delhi: Almost one in two of India’s MPs are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the second phase of vaccination that got underway Monday. Sources said Tuesday that most of these lawmakers will get vaccinated, or at least get their first shot of the two jabs before the Budget Session of the Parliament restarts March 8. The second phase of vaccination started Monday and it is for people who are over 60 years or for those who are in the 45-60 age group with comorbidities.
Indian currently has 777 MPs. Among them, 366 are above the age of 60, meeting the criteria of those who can be vaccinated in the current phase. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took his first shot of the vaccine — the indigenously developed Covaxin – at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Monday morning.
People above the age of 45 years with significant so-called co-morbidities are also eligible to be vaccinated. However, it is still not clear how many parliamentarians fall in this category.
While the first shot by itself isn’t adequate, the availability of vaccines for MPs comes as a relief. The pandemic forced the government to skip the Winter Session of 2020 and the Budget Session saw significant precautions, including social distancing.
According to parliament data, 36 per cent Lok Sabha MPs are above 60 years of age. The Rajya Sabha, popularly called the ‘House of the Elders’, naturally has more eligible candidates with 62 per cent of its MPs above that age.
Official data shows that 218 out of 539 MPs in Lok Sabha and 148/238MPs in Rajya Sabha are eligible for vaccines in the 60-plus category. However, there is no data to show how many MPs in the age bracket of 45 to 60 years have comorbidities. “We do not keep any data on health conditions of MPs or ministers,” said an official in the Lok Sabha secretariat.
An Opposition leader added that one of the key benefits of the vaccination would be that many MPs can campaign safely ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections polls in four states and the Union Territory of Pondicherry.
