Government Officers "Living In Ivory Towers": Court Over Covid Situation

The high court's observations came while hearing a plea of Delhi-based Panacea Biotec seeking to modify a July 2020 order

COVID-19 has not spared even a single family and still central government's officers are living in "ivory towers" oblivious of ground realities, observed the Delhi High Court which on Tuesday was of the view that manufacturing of Sputnik V vaccine in India is giving an opportunity to the nation staring at shortage of vaccines. "God bless this country", was another remark of a bench of Justices Manmohan and Navin Chawla which castigated the Centre for not being alive to the pandemic situation that is taking so many lives. The bench said the collaboration of Panacea Biotec with Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) for manufacturing of Sputnik V vaccine should be seen as an opportunity to ensure its usage here and in such matters instructions are to be taken from the highest authorities that too within 30 minutes. It said "no one is applying its mind" when there is an opportunity for the government to get millions of vaccines and it should use this as a window.