Chennai: Tamilnadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to
procure and supply the entire required quantity of vaccine for administering all groups including those in the 18-45 age group.
In a letter to Modi, a copy of which was released to the press here, he also urged the Centre to explore alternative sources of supply of vaccine, including possible imports, to ensure that the vaccine roll out takes place across the country smoothly and expeditiously in the coming weeks.
He said the Union Health Ministry has announced a new policy to be adopted in the Phase-3 of the Covid-19 vaccination throughout the country.
As per this policy, States have been given the responsibility to procure and administer vaccine to the people in the age group of 18 to 45.
Noting that this vaccine would be procured by the State governments at pre-determined prices from the manufacturers, Palaniswami said this price would be distinctly different from the price that the Centre has been paying for the vaccine supply.
‘Some manufacturers have already announced a higher increased rate for procurement by State Governments’, he pointed out.
‘Such a differential price mechanism is inherently unfair since it places a higher financial burden on States’, he said, adding, ‘it is also iniquitous since the State Governments have considerably less fiscal resources at their command than the Central Government.’
Further, since budgetary provision of Rs.35,000 crore has been made in the Budget Estimates for 2021-22 for the COVID-19 Vaccination programme, States have a legitimate expectation that the Centre would supply the COVID-19 vaccine Phase-3.
‘In these circumstances, I request the Government of India to kindly procure and supply the entire required quantity of vaccine for administering all groups including those in
the age group of 18-45, besides exploring alternative sources of vaccine supply, including possible imports, to ensure that
the vaccine roll out takes place across the country smoothly and expeditiously in the coming weeks.’