Maharashtra government expedited vaccination as cases surged: Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari

The Maharashtra government has expedited vaccination in the last few days given the surge in COVID-19 cases, state Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari said in his address to the people on the occasion of the 61st Maharashtra Foundation Day on Saturday. Koshyari also said the state government has been working to maintain the rising graph of the progress of the state while striving to tackle the pandemic.

"While maintaining the tempo of the economy, the government is committed to ensuring justice to the oppressed and neglected sections of the society, women and farmers," Koshyari said in his address, which was telecast on the Doordarshan and also aired on the All India Radio.

"The government is working to maintain the state's rising graph and at the same time tackling the pandemic since the last one-and-a-half years," he said.


"We are fighting the pandemic unitedly for more than 15 months and taken various measures to control it. However, in the last few days, there has been a sudden spike in the number of patients. The government has increased the speed of vaccination," he said.

As of Friday, Maharashtra's caseload stood at 46,02,472 and the death toll at 68,813.

The COVID-19 vaccination count in Maharashtra stood at 1,58,88,121, an official had said on Friday.

Koshyari also highlighted the financial package of Rs 5,476 crore announced by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government for the people whose livelihood has been affected during the COVID-19-induced restrictions.

He also mentioned various initiatives undertaken by the government in the last 18 months for the welfare of a cross-section of society.

Referring to the simmering boundary dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka, he said the state government was trying its best to resolve the stalemate in the Supreme Court.

The governor appealed to all citizens to follow the pandemic norms and defeat coronavirus unitedly.

"I appeal to all citizens to come together to create a strong and united Maharashtra," he added.