Congress slams Centre over differential COVISHIELD pricing; dubs it 'Crony bonanza scheme'

On Wednesday, the Congress party lambasted the Centre over the disparity in COVISHIELD sale prices for the Centre, state governments and private hospitals. For instance, Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala disapproved of the Serum Institute of India offering this COVID-19 vaccine at Rs.400 to states while the Centre procured it at Rs.150 only. Pointing out further that private hospitals could purchase COVISHIELD at a steeper rate of Rs.600, he claimed that this was an attempt by the Union government to make money out of people's misery. 

Earlier in the day, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi compared the Centre's new vaccine policy to demonetisation. According to him, the latest move will ensure that the common person will have to stand in line and accrue a loss in terms of money, health and life. Moreover, he contended that only a few industrialists shall be benefited in the process. 

While the Congress party initially welcomed the Centre's decision to open up vaccination for all persons aged above 18 from May 1, it subsequently claimed that the modified vaccine policy is regressive and inequitable. According to the Sonia Gandhi-led party, the Centre was trying to run away from responsibility and worsen the inequality between the states as well as between poor and rich Indians. Moreover, it called upon the Union government to consider its concerns in a spirit of "constructive cooperation". 

Congress expressed these concerns: 

• The Central government appears to have abdicated its responsibility towards the poor by excluding people in the 18-45 years bracket from its vaccination programme. The migrant workers who live and work in other states and are the lifeblood of the economy of our cities will be the worst affected by this directive.
• By liberalizing the pricing of vaccine, and by not fixing a price for states at the same rate as it is available to the Union Government, the government is paving the way to unhealthy price bidding and profiteering.  States with limited resources will be at a considerable disadvantage. States that are already weighed down by shrinking GST revenues, lower tax devolution, reduced grants-in-aid and increased borrowing would have to bear this additional burden.  
• The Union government’s vaccine policy refuses to grasp that the problem is not only of production, but also of financing, procurement and distribution of the vaccines, and of coordination with the states. 
• The modified policy does not invoke the provisions in law for compulsory licensing to allow other domestic vaccine manufacturers to manufacture the approved vaccines and augment total supply. 
• While the modified policy allows for the import of foreign-made approved vaccines, there is no clarity whether any foreign manufacturer has agreed to export its vaccine and, if so, whether adequate quantities have been promised to be supplied on an agreed schedule.