As PM Modi centralises COVID vaccine drive, AAP welcomes decision but won't thank Centre

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that vaccines would be provided free to states from June 21 after being procured centrally, AAP leader and Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia chose to express his gratitude to the Supreme Court and said that it is due to the intervention of the apex court that the free vaccine will be available to all age groups across the country. This comes after the Supreme Court, days ago, made prima facie observations against the government not making vaccines free for 18-44 category as it had done for the preceding two. However, while the Supreme Court could be attributed for the decision to provide vaccines free for the states and leaving them in-charge of distribution, the decision to withdraw the 25% procurement that was earlier allotted to the states in the vaccine 'liberalisation' is a direct consequence of the states failing to procure vaccines.

Manish Sisodia and the Delhi government, who have vacillated between demanding a greater say in vaccinations to demanding that the Centre do it all on its own while they complain on a daily basis, said that if the central government had wanted the same, it could have done this long ago, but due to politics of the Centre, neither were the states able to buy vaccines nor was the Government of India (GoI) was giving it. That is not the case, as states' efforts to buy vaccines have been disastrous to say the least, with some vaccine-makers outright refusing to deal with them and some makers even alleging threats by powerful people, among other stated and unstated reasons.

Having comprehensively failed to procure vaccines themselves when offered the chance, the Delhi govt had been the first among many others to ask the Centre to take full responsibility for sourcing vaccines again. At this point, the sight of Delhi CM Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia addressing press conferences attributing various blame to the Centre and being swiftly countered by an equal and opposite press conference by BJP national spokesperson Dr Sambit Patra has become a frustrating daily sight for the residents of Delhi.

AAP reacts to PM Modi's free vaccine for all announcement

Meanwhile, AAP MLA Raghav Chadha thanked the Supreme Court and the judges on behalf of the country for lashing out at the Centre in the ongoing suo-moto hearing on the policy of vaccine. Raghav Chadha further said, "After being scolded by the Supreme Court, the central government has come it its senses and accepted the demand of the states." Incidentally, it had been the same states that demanded a greater say in vaccine procurement, in a show of 'we can do it better' but clearly couldn't, with the resulting politics being an insult to all those who have perished or lost loved ones to the pandemic. As such, the response to the PM centralising the vaccine drive has been welcomed by all states, with instances of backbiting being added as post-scripts depending on whether the state is ruled by a leader/party that represents the Opposition, or not.

PM Modi announces free vaccine for all adults

Earlier during the day, PM Modi while addressing the nation announced that the government will provide free COVID-19 vaccine to all adults from June 21. In a revision of the government’s liberalized and accelerated phase-3 strategy of the COVID-19 Vaccination that started from 1st May 2021, the Prime Minister said that the central government will now buy 75% of the total production of the vaccine producers and provide to the states free of cost.

PM Modi said, “No state government would be spending anything for vaccines. Till now, crores of people got the free vaccine, now 18 years segment will be added to this. Government of India will provide free vaccines to all the citizens."

While stating that many states came forward with a demand for reconsideration of the vaccination strategy and for bringing back the system that was before May 1, PM Narendra Modi in his address said that it has been decided that the 25 per cent vaccination that was with the states will now be undertaken by the GOI. This will be rolled out in two weeks. In two weeks, centre and states will make necessary preparations as per new guidelines," the Prime Minister added.

The Prime Minister said that the system of 25% vaccines being procured directly by the private hospitals will continue. “State governments will monitor that only ₹150 service charge is levied by the private hospitals over the decided price of the vaccines," he said.

COVID situation in India

India so far has recorded over 2,89,09,975 positive cases, out of which, 2,71,59,180 have successfully recovered and 3,49,186 have died. As per the latest reports from MoHFW, in the past 24 hours, 1,00,636 new cases, 1,74,399 fresh recoveries and 2,427 deaths have been reported. Currently, the total number of active cases in the country is 14,01,609. 

(Image: PTI, ANI, Twitter- @Aam Aadmi Party)