Aiming at inoculating people of West Bengal for COVID-19 free of cost before the upcoming assembly election, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to help the state in procuring vaccines. A rapid vaccination programme is needed immediately for the interests of health and well-being of all concerned, Banerjee said in a letter to Modi.

”We would request you to kindly take up the matter with appropriate authority, so that state government is able to purchase the vaccines from designated point(s) on top priority basis, because the West Bengal government wants to provide vaccination free of cost to all the people,” the letter read. Election to the 294-member West Bengal assembly is due in April-May.

Till Tuesday, at least 8 lakh health workers and frontline workers have been vaccinated in the state.