India Inc Welcomes PM Modi's Decision For Vaccine Procurement By Centre

The prime minister has retained the vaccine procurement of 25% by the private sector, enabling industry to contribute to the vaccination drive and target workers better.

Representative Image

Mumbai: Leaders of India Inc. on Monday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to streamline vaccine procurement with the Centre bearing 75% of the cost of doses as it would provide speed to India's vaccination programme and leave states with more resources to fight the Coronavirus.

Welcoming the decision, Tata Steel MD and CII President Mr T V Narendran, said, "The announcements by the Hon'ble Prime Minister today are welcome moves in the critical task of ensuring quick rollout of vaccines. Centralisation of procurement will ensure uniformity of procurement prices and create bandwidth among states to manage inoculation of their adult populations. This would also ensure an equitable allocation of vaccines in states and was a key ask of CII too. Making the vaccines available for all the eligible population free of cost will go a long way in protecting the citizens and resuming normal economic activities at the earliest."

The industry body has been setting up vaccine camps in industrial areas in partnership with corporates for fast-tracking vaccination of workers, their families, and community members around the companies.

"Prime Minister's address to the nation has provided a clear direction to India's vaccination programme with an avowed objective of providing free jabs to all adults, while providing a window for those willing to pay through private sector hospitals. The revised policy would remove all procedural bottlenecks for availability of vaccines to the states," ASSOCHAM Secretary General Mr Deepak Sood said.
 
The Pradhan Mantri Ann Kalyan Yojana's extension providing free ration to 800 million people till Diwali would instill a great sense of food security to the economically weaker sections of society, according to ASSOCHAM.  

"The decision should also help return of migrant workers back to cities as the case loads of coronavirus has reduced considerably and the process of unlocking has begun in several states," said Mr. Sood. 

The prime minister has retained the vaccine procurement of 25% by the private sector, enabling industry to contribute to the vaccination drive and target workers better.

"CII is organizing an intensive communication outreach program, including in rural and remote areas, to align with the Government's endeavour to overcome vaccine hesitancy. In addition, CII's concern and advocacy regarding protecting the poor from loss of livelihoods has been addressed by the Prime Minister's announcement of extending the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana until November 2021 to ensure free food grains to weaker sections of society," said Mr. Narendran.