77 lakh people without ID cards administered 1st dose of Covid vaccine, 14.55 lakh given both shots: Centre tells SC

The central government on Thursday told the Supreme Court that around 77 lakh people who did not have any valid identity cards have been administered with the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 14.55 lakh have been administered with both the doses. Perusing the affidavit of the Centre, a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath, however, said that as per the affidavit only 4.82 lakh people, without an ID card, have been vaccinated. 

The bench told Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, "Affidavit says that only 4,82,000 people have been vaccinated without any identity cards. Is this not a very small number?" Bhati clarified that the affidavit that the bench is referring to was filed in August, 2021 and the figures have been updated now. "According to the updated fugues 77 lakh people without ID cards have been given the first dose and 14.55 lakh have been given both doses," Bhati said.

The top court asked ASG to file an affidavit with the updated figure. It also asked as to why the Delhi government has not filed any affidavit in the case and directed it to file its affidavit and posted the matter for hearing after three weeks. Earlier, the top court had issued notice to the Centre and Delhi government on a petition seeking vaccination and rehabilitation of homeless, beggars and vagabonds amid Covid-19 pandemic across India.

"The reason why people are required to take to the streets to beg is to eke out an elementary livelihood in the absence of education and employment. It is a social-economic problem and cannot be remedied in this way," the bench had observed while saying that it cannot pass an order to remove beggars from the streets. The apex court had said that it cannot ban begging and beggars cannot be washed away from public places and traffic junctions.

It had said that in the context of Covid-19, beggars, vagabonds, homeless are entitled to medical facilities as others. The court was hearing a PIL filed by advocate Kush Kalra seeking to restrain beggars, vagabonds or those who are homeless from begging at traffic junctions, in markets and public places to avoid the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic across India and to rehabilitate them.

The top court had asked the Centre and Delhi government to apprise it about steps are being taken to deal with this human problem. It had opined that the issue is a socio-economic problem and require urgent attention of Centre and Delhi government regarding vaccination of beggars, and homeless in the national capital.