COVID Vaccination: Centre To Take Back Control From States; Free Jabs For Above-18

New Delhi: The Union government has decided to take back control of vaccination from states.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced during his address to the nation on Monday that from June 21, the Centre will procure 75% of vaccines from manufacturers and provide them to the states for vaccination of above 18 category free of cost.

The remaining 25% will be left for private hospitals to procure directly from manufacturers.

Since May 1, the Centre was procuring 50% of available vaccines while 25% was left for states to acquire and the remaining 25% for private hospitals.

“It has been decided that the 25% of vaccination which the states were handling will be taken over by the Centre in two weeks’ time. So no state will have to spend on vaccines now. Those above 18 years will also get the vaccine free henceforth,” said Modi.

Private hospitals can charge a maximum of Rs 150 per dose, as was being followed prior to May 1.

The states had been struggling to procure adequate number of doses from manufacturers. Some states tried to approach foreign vaccine manufacturers which refused to deal with them.

Several states had approached Modi to make the vaccination process centralised.

The Supreme Court also questioned the CoWIN registration policy and asked the Centre why it had left states in the lurch vis-a-vis vaccination.

India’s mass vaccination drive started on January 16.