"Since these people cannot go to a vaccination centre leaving their business for several hours, we decided to bring the facility to their doorsteps," Hakim told reporters after the inauguration of the programme at Posta Bazaar, the largest wholesale market of vegetables and groceries in the city.
The vaccination on wheels initiative was launched by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation on Thursday in cooperation with the Health and Transport departments of the West Bengal government.
As the Covid-19 pandemic led to stringent lockdowns and other restrictions across the country, thousands of sex workers have been left in the lurch as they are unable to perform their work, due to which their livelihoods have come to a standstill.
UPDATED: May 14, 2021 17:13 IST
Mamata Banerjee and her cabinet members with governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at the swearing-in ceremony; Photo by Debajyoti Chakraborty
One of the dominant themes of Mamata Banerjee’s assembly election campaign was the idea of an inclusive West Bengal that had something to offer to all its citizens, cutting across religion, caste, gender and social status. Public endorsement of it came as her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), won the election with a handsome 213 of the total 294 seats. ‘Inclusive Bengal’ now finds reflection in Mamata’s 43-member cabinet that took the oath of office on May 10. The team consists of nine women, seven Muslims, eight SC/ST MLAs and professionals from diverse fields an actor, a cricketer, a theatre personality, a singer and two doctors. In all, there are 15 new faces.