Buses not sufficient, run sanitized trains: Chidambaram on MHA nod for movement of stranded migrants

Commenting on the Centre’s announcement allowing stranded migrants to return home, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram suggested on April 29 that train services be started to enable smoother movement.

For live updates on coronavirus, click here

Taking to Twitter he wrote: “I welcome the move... But buses alone will not be sufficient. It is better to run sanitized trains…”

I welcome the decision of the government to allow inter-state movement of migrant workers and students after testing them by bus.

This has been a demand of the Congress party since mid-April.

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 29, 2020

Buses alone will not be sufficient. It is better to run sanitized trains point-to-point to move the large numbers who desire to migrate back to their home states.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

View more

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

View more

Show

Related stories

• 
  Nine Years of Modi Government: Stood firm and delivered despite challenges
• 
  China Economy: Recovery disappointment has set in
• 
  Explainer: How the World Health Organization could fight future pandemics

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 29, 2020

The Ministry of Home Affairs on April 29 issued an order allowing the interstate movement of migrant workers, students, tourists, and pilgrims and asked all states and union territories to prepare a protocol for the same.