COVID-19 vaccines emerged as saviour of lives and livelihoods: Eco Survey 2022
As India’s social capital suffered massive losses due to COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines emerged as a major shield in saving lives and livelihoods, noted the Economic Survey 2021-22, tabled in parliament by Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday.
- Jan 31, 2022,
- Updated Jan 31, 2022 6:33 PM IST
As India’s social capital suffered massive losses due to COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines emerged as a major shield in saving lives and livelihoods, noted the Economic Survey 2021-22, tabled in parliament by Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday.
Vaccination has played a critical role in minimising loss of lives, boosting confidence in the economy towards resumption of activity and containing the sequential decline in output due to second wave, said the survey report.
“With India witnessing a resurgence in daily new cases since end-December 2021, marking the onset of Omicron variant induced third wave, rapid progress in vaccination coverage and further strengthening of testing and health infrastructure assume critical importance in protecting lives and containing the spread of the infection,” the survey said.
On 16th January 2021, India commenced the world’s largest vaccination program with an ambitious target to inoculate its entire eligible population by 31st December 2021, with at least the first dose. The survey noted that more than 88 crore people (93 per cent of the adult population) have received at least one dose, of which around 66 crore people (70 per cent of the adult population) stands fully vaccinated. With vaccination drive further extended to the age group of 15-18 years starting 3rd January, 2022, more than 50 per cent of India’s population in this age group have received their first dose of the vaccine as on 19th January.
Union Budget for 2021-22 allocated Rs 35,000 crore for procurement under COVID-19 Vaccination Program. The survey showed that maximum number of COVID-19 vaccinations took place in the government sector.
“Except for about 4-5 per cent of total doses administered in the country, rest have been administered at Government COVID-19 Vaccination Centres,” the survey report said.
Private sector has high hopes from the ongoing vaccination of children. “The private healthcare providers across the country are ensuring best safety protocols for the ongoing process of vaccinating children. The private hospitals are looking forward to supporting the Government in ramping up the vaccination drive for children between 15-18 years of age group,” said Dr Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, MD and CEO, Fortis Healthcare.
The survey pointed out that distribution of COVID vaccine to all without discrimination has also been important feature of the vaccination program. Out of total administered doses of COVID-19 vaccines, 49 per cent have been administered to females; more than 70 per cent of vaccine doses have been administered at CVCs located in rural areas, it said.
As per World Health organization (WHO) data, as on second week of January 2022, 66.3 per cent and 48.3 per cent of the total population in India is vaccinated with first and second doses, respectively. In contrast, in Indonesia, population vaccinated with first dose is 64.9 per cent and with second dose 44.3 per cent, while in China, population vaccinated with first dose is 86 per cent and with second dose 83.3 per cent.
“Even as the pandemic is still raging in most parts of the world, its latest variant is less damaging; Besides, with 75 per cent of eligible Indians fully vaccinated and the booster doses being rolled out, India would be far better prepared to take on the challenges,'' Deepak Sood, ASSOCHAM Secretary General said.
The survey also highlighted that government’s spending on social services, which includes health and education, increased significantly during the pandemic. In 2021-22 (BE), Centre and State governments earmarked an aggregate of Rs 71.61 lakh crore for spending on social service sector; an increase of 9.8 per cent over 2020-21. Last year’s (2020-21) revised expenditure has also gone up by Rs 54,000 crore from the budgeted amount.
The National Health Policy, 2017 was envisaged to increase government’s health expenditure to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2025. In keeping with this objective, Central and State Governments’ budgeted expenditure on health sector reached 2.1 per cent of GDP in 2021-22, against 1.3 per cent in 2019-20, the survey noted.
In 2021-22 (BE), funds to the sector increased to 8.6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (8.3 per cent in 2020-21). During the last five years, social services accounted for about 25 per cent of the total Government expenditure (Centre and States taken together).
In 2021-22 (BE), it was 26.6 per cent. Although, the pandemic has affected almost all social services, yet the health sector was the worst hit. Expenditure on health sector increased from Rs 2.73 lakh crore in 2019-20 (pre-COVID-19) to Rs 4.72 lakh crore in 2021-22 (BE), an increase of nearly 73 per cent. For the education sector, the increase during same period was 20 per cent.
In addition to the National Health Mission, Union Budget 2021-22, announced Ayushman Bharat
Health Infrastructure Mission, a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme, with an outlay of about Rs 64,180 crore in the next five years to develop capacities of primary, secondary, and tertiary care Health Systems, strengthen existing national institutions, and create new institutions to cater to detection and cure of new and emerging diseases.
Jobs and labour market, which also took a hit during the pandemic, is attaining normalcy, according to the survey 2021-22. As per quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data, up to March 2021, employment in urban sector affected by the pandemic has recovered almost to the pre-pandemic levels. Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) data suggests that not only formalisation of jobs continued during second-COVID-19-wave, but its adverse impact by far on formalisation of jobs was also much lower than during the first-COVID wave, the survey report noted. To provide the necessary buffer for the unorganised labour in rural areas during the pandemic, allocation of funds to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has been increased.
Also Read: India's core sector output rises 3.8% in December
Also Read: India's GDP contracts by 6.6% in FY21: Govt
As India’s social capital suffered massive losses due to COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines emerged as a major shield in saving lives and livelihoods, noted the Economic Survey 2021-22, tabled in parliament by Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday.
Vaccination has played a critical role in minimising loss of lives, boosting confidence in the economy towards resumption of activity and containing the sequential decline in output due to second wave, said the survey report.
“With India witnessing a resurgence in daily new cases since end-December 2021, marking the onset of Omicron variant induced third wave, rapid progress in vaccination coverage and further strengthening of testing and health infrastructure assume critical importance in protecting lives and containing the spread of the infection,” the survey said.
On 16th January 2021, India commenced the world’s largest vaccination program with an ambitious target to inoculate its entire eligible population by 31st December 2021, with at least the first dose. The survey noted that more than 88 crore people (93 per cent of the adult population) have received at least one dose, of which around 66 crore people (70 per cent of the adult population) stands fully vaccinated. With vaccination drive further extended to the age group of 15-18 years starting 3rd January, 2022, more than 50 per cent of India’s population in this age group have received their first dose of the vaccine as on 19th January.
Union Budget for 2021-22 allocated Rs 35,000 crore for procurement under COVID-19 Vaccination Program. The survey showed that maximum number of COVID-19 vaccinations took place in the government sector.
“Except for about 4-5 per cent of total doses administered in the country, rest have been administered at Government COVID-19 Vaccination Centres,” the survey report said.
Private sector has high hopes from the ongoing vaccination of children. “The private healthcare providers across the country are ensuring best safety protocols for the ongoing process of vaccinating children. The private hospitals are looking forward to supporting the Government in ramping up the vaccination drive for children between 15-18 years of age group,” said Dr Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, MD and CEO, Fortis Healthcare.
The survey pointed out that distribution of COVID vaccine to all without discrimination has also been important feature of the vaccination program. Out of total administered doses of COVID-19 vaccines, 49 per cent have been administered to females; more than 70 per cent of vaccine doses have been administered at CVCs located in rural areas, it said.
As per World Health organization (WHO) data, as on second week of January 2022, 66.3 per cent and 48.3 per cent of the total population in India is vaccinated with first and second doses, respectively. In contrast, in Indonesia, population vaccinated with first dose is 64.9 per cent and with second dose 44.3 per cent, while in China, population vaccinated with first dose is 86 per cent and with second dose 83.3 per cent.
“Even as the pandemic is still raging in most parts of the world, its latest variant is less damaging; Besides, with 75 per cent of eligible Indians fully vaccinated and the booster doses being rolled out, India would be far better prepared to take on the challenges,'' Deepak Sood, ASSOCHAM Secretary General said.
The survey also highlighted that government’s spending on social services, which includes health and education, increased significantly during the pandemic. In 2021-22 (BE), Centre and State governments earmarked an aggregate of Rs 71.61 lakh crore for spending on social service sector; an increase of 9.8 per cent over 2020-21. Last year’s (2020-21) revised expenditure has also gone up by Rs 54,000 crore from the budgeted amount.
The National Health Policy, 2017 was envisaged to increase government’s health expenditure to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2025. In keeping with this objective, Central and State Governments’ budgeted expenditure on health sector reached 2.1 per cent of GDP in 2021-22, against 1.3 per cent in 2019-20, the survey noted.
In 2021-22 (BE), funds to the sector increased to 8.6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (8.3 per cent in 2020-21). During the last five years, social services accounted for about 25 per cent of the total Government expenditure (Centre and States taken together).
In 2021-22 (BE), it was 26.6 per cent. Although, the pandemic has affected almost all social services, yet the health sector was the worst hit. Expenditure on health sector increased from Rs 2.73 lakh crore in 2019-20 (pre-COVID-19) to Rs 4.72 lakh crore in 2021-22 (BE), an increase of nearly 73 per cent. For the education sector, the increase during same period was 20 per cent.
In addition to the National Health Mission, Union Budget 2021-22, announced Ayushman Bharat
Health Infrastructure Mission, a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme, with an outlay of about Rs 64,180 crore in the next five years to develop capacities of primary, secondary, and tertiary care Health Systems, strengthen existing national institutions, and create new institutions to cater to detection and cure of new and emerging diseases.
Jobs and labour market, which also took a hit during the pandemic, is attaining normalcy, according to the survey 2021-22. As per quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data, up to March 2021, employment in urban sector affected by the pandemic has recovered almost to the pre-pandemic levels. Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) data suggests that not only formalisation of jobs continued during second-COVID-19-wave, but its adverse impact by far on formalisation of jobs was also much lower than during the first-COVID wave, the survey report noted. To provide the necessary buffer for the unorganised labour in rural areas during the pandemic, allocation of funds to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has been increased.
Also Read: India's core sector output rises 3.8% in December
Also Read: India's GDP contracts by 6.6% in FY21: Govt