April 9, 2021
The union health ministry has declined a request from the department of higher education, under the union ministry of education, to vaccinate the faculty, students, and staff members at Centrally Funded Technical Institutions, according to a letter dated April 5.
The department of higher education had written to the health ministry requesting a special provision to vaccinate faculty, staff members and students of Centrally Funded Technical Institutions, according to an office memorandum dated March 25.
The health ministry’s response, though, came after more than 900 students were vaccinated at Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, all below the age of 45. According to the ministry’s guidelines, vaccinations are now only open for frontline workers, health care workers, and those above the age of 45.