Sir — The Supreme Court has rightly reprimanded the Centre for its policy of giving free vaccination to people above 45 years of age and having a paid system for the rest, calling it “prima facie arbitrary and irrational” (“Bunglers”, June 7). Flagging several other problems, the court has asked the Centre to review its vaccination policy. Bringing up the issue of differential pricing, the apex court directed the Centre to submit a comparison of the prices of vaccines available in India to their international prices.
In most countries, vaccines are procured by the governments and distributed to the people free of cost while in India, people aged between 18-44 are paying record prices for vaccines. The court has asked for dates of the procurement orders of all vaccines — Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V — the number of doses ordered and the projected date of supply.
Under the current vaccine policy, states can buy up to 50 per cent of their vaccine requirements from manufacturers but are paying a much higher price than the Centre. The private hospitals are being charged even more. The discrepancy has led to many demanding an even vaccination policy. The Centre must reveal its reasons for refusing to implement a universal free vaccination programme in spite of setting aside a substantial amount for the purpose.
Bhagwan Thadani,
Mumbai
Sir — The differential pricing of vaccine doses adopted by the Centre is unfair. It is also morally wrong to burden the cash-strapped state governments even further by forcing them to procure coronavirus vaccines at a higher price. Thus, the directive of the Supreme Court asking the Centre to re-evaluate its vaccine policy is welcome.
The government must prioritize the well-being of the people and vaccinate all citizens free of cost. By furnishing the details of the expenditure from the Rs 35,000 crore earmarked in the Union budget for the procurement of vaccines as directed by the top court, the government can validate its claim that it has nothing to hide. The government should also review the mandatory registration on the CoWIN app for booking slots for jabs and put in place more viable options to avoid exclusion. We expect and hope that the government will abide by the wisdom of the Supreme Court.
G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Take note
Sir — With regional lockdowns being imposed across India, supply chains have been immensely disrupted. The price of onions and other vegetables that are grown in other parts of the country have been steadily rising in Bengal. The increase has been attributed to the delay in transportation as well as a hike in diesel prices. There is an immediate need for the government to regulate the prices of basic food items. If food prices continue to increase, many would be left with no choice but to starve.
Abhra Ganguly,
Calcutta