Rahul Gandhi's 'simple question' on PM Modi's COVID address faces logical sledgehammer

Intrigued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of Centralised COVID-19 vaccination policy, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had a 'simple' and to some, a quite irrational question to ask. Issuing his first response to the decision to centralise COVID vaccine procurement, as sought by plenty of states in unison - including those governed by Congress, Rahul Gandhi's eye turned to the 25% stock kept aside for private players to procure. 

The Wayanad MP questioned if vaccines are being provided free for all, why should private hospitals charge for them? 

Rahul Gandhi's question comes even as PM Modi clarified that the Centre would be procuring 75% of COVID-19 vaccines and distributing it free of cost to all states for everyone above the age of 18 years. In a bid to curb the differential prices charged by private hospitals, PM Modi added that a hospital can only charge Rs 150 at most as a service charge for COVID-19 vaccines. Pertinently, Rahul Gandhi and several Congress-ruled states were amongst the first to propose the expansion of the immunization drive and a decentralised process to procure vaccines directly from makers, and then backtracked after having floundered in procuring vaccines.

Rahul Gandhi asks a question, gets blistering responses

While hospitals and government-run vaccination centres continue to provide free COVID-19 vaccines, the procurement and distribution by private makers have facilitated the expansion of the immunization drive, making it more localized. On account of private procurement, several companies, societies, welfare associations and other groups have been able to vaccinate people in a more flexible manner. It has also allowed hospitals to conduct COVID vaccination drives, thereby ensuring a wider reach and inoculation of citizens across the country with greater efficiency. 

Eager to resolve Rahul Gandhi's 'simple' query, several netizens stormed his Twitter posts' comments section with witty and humorous responses. While some questioned if the Twitter post was the most he could do as an Opposition leader, some reminded the alleged vaccine scam in Congress-ruled Punjab, whereas per reports, the government had been selling vaccines at a much higher rate to private players. 

Here are some of the responses: 

PM Modi Proposes 'Each One Pay One'

Minutes after announcing the Centre's decision to take over the procurement and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines from states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also proposed a potentially game-changing 'Each One, Pay One' policy, allowing those who can afford it to pay for COVID-19 vaccines for the needy. While the details of the policy are still to be announced, it has been learnt that the 'Each One, Pay One' policy is an effort to invite people to contribute towards the collective battle against COVID-19 even as the Centre provides free vaccines to all those above 18 years of age. 

Under the proposal, those who are willing and can afford to will be allowed to pay for vaccine doses for the poor. To facilitate the 'Each One, Pay One' policy, sources have said that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon issue vouchers that can be bought to fund the COVID-19 immunization drive for the poor. Sources have added, with the massive ramp-up of vaccine production and procurement, the immunization drive is likely to reach 16 crore people in the month of July, which is more than the 12 crore people expected to be inoculated in the month of June across India. The policy may also allow corporates and other entities to contribute directly to inoculating the vast masses of India.