Newspaper Headlines: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Asks States To Prepare Plan For COVID-19 Vaccine And Other Top Stories

Hindustan Times: India will ensure every citizen gets a coronavirus vaccine but the candidates must first pass all scientific tests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a meeting with chief ministers of eight states, where he also confirmed a priority list for those who will get a shot first: frontline workers, people above the age of 50, and those with comorbidities. Russia on Tuesday said its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine was 95% effective and would be cheaper and easier to store than some alternatives, as the global race heats up to develop a shot, even as some experts raised questions over the low number of cases reviewed.

The Indian Express: As the race to find an efficacious vaccine against Covid-19 picks up, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged states Tuesday to build decentralised mechanisms, down to the block level, in the form of task forces for smooth administration of the vaccine, expected to take place earlynext year. The UP Cabinet on Tuesday cleared a draft ordinance to check "unlawful religious conversions" and "interfaith marriages with the sole intention of changing a girl's religion", with provision for jail term of upto 10 years.

The Asian Age: Various aspects related to the planned COVID-19 vaccination campaign, including logistics, priority-based distribution and monitoring of possible side effects, were flagged by chief ministers during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday on the coronavirus situation. PM Modi said any vaccine against coronavirus that is administered to citizens will meet all necessary scientific criteria and stressed that governments at all levels will have to work together to ensure that the vaccination drive is smooth, systematic and sustained.