'Will no one in Centre be held responsible?': Chidambaram lauds SC order on vaccine policy

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday lauded the Supreme Court's order raising questions over the Union government's COVID-19 vaccination policy. Alleging that the Centre had refused to answer questions posed by the people, he asserted that it was now answerable to the apex court. Referring to the SC's observation that the novel coronavirus inoculation policy for the 18-44 age group is prima facie arbitrary and illegal, the Rajya Sabha MP demanded accountability from the National Democratic Alliance. He added, "This is another example of the Modi government believing it is not answerable to the Parliament or the people." 

SC questions vaccine policy

A three-judge SC bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat was hearing the suo moto petition on the distribution of essential supplies and services during the novel coronavirus pandemic. It appreciated the efforts of the Centre and the private manufacturers in developing and distributing vaccines which are critical to mitigate the pandemic. At the same time, it noted that a vaccination policy solely relying on a digital portal for vaccinating a significant population of India would be unable to meet its target of universal immunization owing to a digital divide. 

The court stated, "However, the present system of allowing only digital registration and booking of appointment on CoWIN, coupled with the current scarcity of vaccines, will ultimately ensure that initially all vaccines, whether free or paid, are first availed by the economically privileged sections of the society. As such, even those who may have been able to afford a vaccine, may opt for a free vaccine simply because of issues of availability, even if it would entail travelling to far-flung rural areas. Hence, any calculations of the economic ability of a given individual may not directly correspond to the vaccination route (paid/unpaid) they opt for."

The following information was sought from the Centre in an affidavit:

• The data on the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated (with one dose and both doses), as against eligible persons in the first three phases of the vaccination drive. This shall include data pertaining to the percentage of the rural population as well as the percentage of the urban population so vaccinated
• The complete data on the purchase history of all the COVID-19 vaccines till date (COVAXIN, COVISHIELD and Sputnik V)
• The data should clarify the dates of all procurement orders placed for all 3 vaccines, the number of vaccines ordered as on each date and the projected date of supply
• An outline for how and when the Centre seeks to vaccinate the remaining population in phases 1, 2 and 3
• The steps being taken to ensure drug availability for mucormycosis