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Updated May 27th, 2021 at 13:46 IST

Priyanka Gandhi grills Centre over vaccine shortage, questions delay in placing orders

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday took on the Union government for the scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines in India amid the second wave.

Reported by: Akhil Oka
Priyanka Gandhi, Congress
Image: PTI | Image:self
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Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday took on the Centre for the scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines in India amid the second wave. Posting a video on Twitter, she questioned the government on why it placed vaccine procurement orders with the Serum Institute of India and the Bharat Biotech only in January 2021 as compared to other countries which did so months ago. Moreover, she took umbrage at India exporting 6 crore vaccines in the first three months of the year while inoculating fewer people at home.

"Why is India, one of the largest manufacturers of vaccines in the world, facing a scarcity of vaccines today? Why was the first order of vaccines by the government of India placed in January 2021 when other countries began placing their orders in the summer of 2020? Why did our government export 6 crore vaccines between January-March 2021 while vaccinating 3.5 crore Indians during the same period of time? The government of India owes us, the people of India, answers. And we have to ask them questions and they will have to answer those," Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra remarked. 

Replying to a similar allegation raised by AAP, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra had clarified that over 84 per cent of the vaccine doses sent abroad were part of the commercial and licensing liabilities of the SII and the Bharat Biotech. Besides this, he mentioned that 1.07 crore vaccines were sent to different countries including the neighbourhood as aid. However, Vadra called upon the Centre to clear the air on the concerns over the vaccination policy. 

India opens up vaccination for all adults

Apart from COVISHIELD and COVAXIN, the DCGI accepted the recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, paving way for the approval of Sputnik V on April 12. Moreover, the Union government declared that those vaccines that have been granted emergency approval for restricted use by USFDA, EMA, UK MHRA, PMDA Japan, or which are listed in WHO (Emergency Use Listing) will be granted emergency use approval in India. In a huge announcement on April 19, the Centre relaxed the age bar for vaccination from May 1 onwards and mentioned that vaccine manufacturers can supply 50 per cent of its doses to state governments and in the open market.

The private hospitals shall have to procure their supplies of the COVID-19 vaccines exclusively from this quota. At the same time, vaccination shall continue at Government of India vaccination centres for healthcare and frontline workers and those above 45 years. While over 1 crore persons in the 18-44 age group have been administered the first dose of the vaccine in this new phase of the inoculation drive, the overall vaccination pace has slowed down significantly. A total of 15,68,42,545 persons have been inoculated in India, 4,22,81,658 of them have received the second dose of the vaccine too. 

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Published May 27th, 2021 at 13:46 IST

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