‘Agreed To One Nation, One Tax; Then Why Two Vaccine Prices?’

On Wednesday the Serum Institute of India (SII) has announced the price of Covid-19 vaccine. At government hospitals, the vaccine would cost Rs 400 while at private hospitals it is Rs 600. But SII will be supplying half of the capacities to the Centre and the remaining half to state governments and private hospitals across the country.

Here the twist in the tale came as the Centre will be procuring the vaccine from SII at nominal price of Rs 150 while the state governments would have to shell out Rs 400 per vaccine. Learning this huge difference in prices, oppositions and the common man lashed at the Centre for their unilateral methods.

TRS Working President KTR too found fault and urged for ‘One Nation.. One Price.’ Taking to his Twitter handle, KTR wrote, “We agreed for One Nation – One Tax (GST). But now we see, One Nation – Two different Vaccine prices !? For Govt of India @ Rs 150 And State Govts @ Rs 400. Can’t the GoI subsume any additional cost from PM CARES & help rapid vaccination across India? #SabkaSaathSabkoVaccine.”

Yet neither the SII nor the Centre will do anything to alter the vaccine prices and it will be the respective state government’s call to administer the vaccine free of charge. A couple of states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh have already announced free vaccines to all and we have to see what decision the Telugu states would take.