State-Owned Coal India Reports 400 Deaths and Asks Center for Vaccine Assistance

New Delhi:

Coal India Ltd., one of the country's largest employers, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration to assist in accelerating the vaccination of its workforce following the deaths of almost 400 employees from Covid-19.

The world's largest coal miner, which employs over 259,000 people, has written to government officials demanding that around 1 million doses be made accessible for employees and their family members. So far, 64,000 employees – almost a quarter of the workforce – have been immunised, and the corporation is attempting to accelerate the vaccination effort after unions pressed the case. 

"The company should be looking at mass vaccination programmes that cover all employees and their family members so that the damage can be arrested," said Sudhir Ghurde, general secretary of one of the biggest unions, Akhil Bharatiya Khadan Mazdoor Sangh. 

The need for extra injections comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration has come under fire for its handling of India's deadly second wave of the viral epidemic and flawed vaccination deployment. The nation, which has the world's second-highest number of Covid cases, has seen its health system crumble in the last two months, with major cities running out of oxygen and hospitals overflowing with patients. 

As the Government attempted to scale up domestic manufacturing and purchase dosages from outside, India experienced a catastrophic shortage of inoculations, forcing several centres to close. In an effort to solve the situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised free vaccinations for all adults in a speech to the country on Monday. 

Employees in coal mines have been on the front lines of the epidemic, working shifts during lockdowns to ensure power plants don't run out of fuel, which supplies about 70% of India's electricity. Work at mines continued even after the second wave of deaths began in mid-February. 

According to Coal India, the vast majority of deaths happened during the second wave. Despite the fact that the situation has begun to improve, the corporation is recruiting more medical personnel on a temporary basis and investing in oxygen facilities in preparation for a future reappearance of the sickness. According to the company, approximately 6,000 personnel have been sick, with more than 1,000 still receiving treatment.

While the rate of infection has lately slowed, according to the most current official data, India has lost more than 351,000 people to Covid-19. 

Since the commencement of the world's largest vaccination program on Jan. 16, the South Asian nation has administered 239 million doses, with 3.4 percent now fully inoculated. According to the Bloomberg Vaccination Tracker, it will take another 20 months to cover 75 percent of the population at the present rate. 

The epidemic has had a greater impact on some industries throughout the world than others, such as meatpackers in the United States. However, India's coal sector does not offer some of the same risks as firms where workers are crammed together in cramped quarters. More than 90% of Coal India's output comes from open-pit mines, where coal is blasted out of the earth and deposited into dumpers using giant shovels.

Coal India stated that it has rigorously adhered to safety measures, such as requiring personnel to wear masks and maintain cleanliness, and that equipment is disinfected on a regular basis. South Eastern Coalfields Ltd., the company's main producing unit, has been hit the worst, accounting for over a third of the deaths. 

Coal India has pledged 1.5 million rupees ($20,600) in compensation to the families of employees who died as a result of the epidemic, as well as employment to one of the relatives.

The unions believe more has to be done to keep their workers safe, emphasising the need of increasing immunizations for both employees and family members. So far, more than 35,000 family members have been immunised. 

Also Read - Difficult Times for Kheroni Farmers, Irrigation Department to Blame?

Also Watch - Four 4 dacoits arrested in Barpeta Road