Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ‘Ashrayan Project’ under which homes are built for homeless and displaced people in Bangladesh, has played a key role in achieving the goals of poverty eradication, hunger eradication, gender equality and women's empowerment, among others, India’s leading English-language magazine India Today writes.  Her innovative Shelter Scheme, to transform Bangladesh into a developed and prosperous country by 2041, has been able to bring about positive changes in inclusive development by aiming to provide houses for landless, homeless, and marginalized people in 64 districts of the country, writes the magazine in its April 15 issue. Whereas examples of low-interest loans for land purchase are found in several countries around the world, Bangladesh becomes the first country to offer free land ownership with houses to its marginalized citizens in order to bring its backward communities into the mainstream, India Today notes.  Read: 4 lakh coastal people took refuge at Ashrayan homes during Sitrang: PMO “Beneficiaries under this scheme are not only provided with accommodation, but they are also provided with various training, daily allowances during training, and loans after training to make them economically self-reliant,” the report states.  “The scheme includes empowering women by giving them half ownership of land and houses, providing free electricity connection, providing clean water by installing one shallow tube well for every 10 families, and providing food assistance under three months of VGF to the resettled families initially,” it reads.  The India Today report also lauded PM Hasina’s development, known as the "Sheikh Hasina model". The 'Ashrayan Project' is a unique example of how a house can be a major tool for overall family welfare and social development. Read: Ashrayan Project: Govt thoroughly scrutinizing “irregularities” In its report, India Today highlighted the experience of two beneficiaries of the project. For 30 long years, Moksedul, a brick kiln labourer, waited for a house that he could call his own.  His long-held desire has been granted, as he has been assigned a semi-furnished house in his own name. Moksedul told India Today that he can live very well with his family now.  Meanwhile, sixty-five-year-old Piara Begum is a resident of Patharghata in Barguna who lost her family home to the river thirty years ago.  Read: No laxity in costruction of Ashrayan houses to be tolerated: Project Director She used to live with her husband on the banks of the river until he died of cancer 16 years ago. “Finally, Piara Begum's misery has come to an end after she is allotted a house built by the Bangladesh government on the occasion of ‘Mujib centenary’ under the ‘Ashrayan' scheme.” India Today writes.  “I have been suffering all my life. I never dreamed of a house. Now, I have got a semi-furnished house with land. The prime minister has given me a house. I am very happy. As long as I live, I will pray for the prime minister,” she told India Today. The “Ashrayan” project was undertaken in 1997 under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. And since its inception, approximately 5,07,244 landless and homeless families have been rehabilitated at various stages under this shelter initiative.  Read More: I’m everyone’s PM irrespective of party affiliation, says Hasina Through this initiative, the society's backward community has been given access to semi-finished housing and two decimals of land.

Nearly 120 million vaccine doses will be available for the national Covid vaccination programme in June, the Union ministry of health and family welfare announced on Sunday even as both companies supplying the jabs are looking at ramping up their production capacity to 110-120 million doses from the existing 75-80 million. At least 60 million (60,960,000) doses of Covid-19 vaccines will be supplied to the states and Union territories for vaccination of the priority groups of health care workers (HCWs), frontline workers (FLWs), and people aged 45 years and above as free supply from the central government channel. Apart from that, close to 59 million (58,610,000) vaccine doses will be available for direct procurement by the states and private hospitals, reports the Hindustan Times. READ: India's COVID-19 tally crosses 28 million as daily cases fall “In June 2021, close to 120 million (119,570,000) doses will be available for the national Covid-19 vaccination programme… Vaccination is an integral pillar of the comprehensive strategy of the government of India for containment and management of the pandemic, along with test, track, treat and Covid-appropriate behaviour. As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the government of India has been supporting the states and UTs by providing them Covid-19 vaccines free of cost,” the health ministry said in a statement. The ministry, however, did not share a state-wise break-up of the number of vaccine doses allotted for the month of June. According to reports, Serum Institute of India’s chief executive officer, Adar Poonawalla, informed Union home minister Amit Shah that the company would be ramping up vaccine production in June by around 90-100 million doses. SII locally produces the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine under the brand name Covishield. On April 16, the ministry of science and technology in a statement also announced that it would help double the production capacity of India’s first make-in-India Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, by May-June, 2021, from the existing 10 million doses per month. Bharat Biotech co-developed Covaxin with the Indian Council of Medical Research. The allocation of supplies through the government of India channel to the states and Union territories is decided based on the consumption pattern, population, and vaccine wastage. The supply details are shared in advance for 15/30 days, to ensure better planning and delivery of vaccines. “The supplies are being fast ramped up by the manufactures, so more vaccine doses will be available in weeks to come. The doses need to be effectively distributed also at the state level keeping the current supply scenario in mind. The priority has to be covering the country’s high-risk population -- health care, and frontline workers, and those above 45 years of age,” said a senior central government official, requesting anonymity. From May 1 this year, 50% of the available doses are being earmarked for the states as free of cost supply from the government of India channel, while the remaining 50% is available for direct procurement from manufacturers by the states and private hospitals under the Centre’s “Liberalized Pricing and Accelerated National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy” . “Visibility for availability of vaccines for the entire month of June 2021 has been provided well in advance to States/UTs by Union Government as communicated to States and UTs vide letters of Union Health Ministry dated 17th May 2021, 27th May 2021 and 29th May 2021… States have been requested to direct the concerned officials to ensure rational and judicious utilization of allocated doses and minimize the vaccine wastage,” the health ministry statement said. The delivery schedule for the current lot of supplies will also be shared with the states in advance. In May, a total of 79 million (79,405,200) doses were available for the national Covid vaccination programme, of which 40 million (40,349,830) doses were made available by the Centre to the states free of cost. In addition, 39 million (39,055,370) doses were also available for direct procurement by the states as well as private hospitals. READ: India's COVID-19 tally rises to 27,369,093 Experts say vaccination needs to be scaled up. “All vaccines are effective in reducing severity of the disease, and death; therefore, it is important to vaccinate people as fast as possible, especially the country’s vulnerable population,” said Dr GC Khilnani, former head of the pulmonology and sleep medicine department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi.