Thread by @SaketGokhale

Exclusive: Was India’s “vaccine export” an elaborate scam?

Govt of India tells me that it initially procured 5.6 crore doses of Covishield at Rs. 210 per unit & 1 crore doses of Covaxin at Rs. 309.75 per unit....THRU PM CARES.

That’s about 6.6 crore (66 million) doses

(1/6)

Interestingly, India has exported 6 million doses as of March 2021.

Which is literally the SAME number procured under PM CARES at a cost of 1486 crores.

Now, it gets interesting.

The Govt later started procuring vaccine doses through the Union Health budget.

(2/6)

The order for vaccine doses placed by the Govt thru funding from the budget is prices at Rs. 157.50 per unit for both Covaxin & Covishield.

The ONGOING order placed under the budget is for 10 crore doses of Covishield & 2 crore doses of Covaxin.

That’s 12 crore doses.

(3/6)

Again: order placed under the budget has not yet been fulfilled & the procurement is still ongoing.

Now questions remain:

1. Why were vaccines procured at a MUCH higher price under PM CARES & then all of them exported?

2. What price were these vaccines exported for?

(4/6)

3. Why was 1486 crores of PM CARES money spent on procurement of vaccines that were to be donated/exported to other countries instead of using it for domestic supply?

4. If “Vaccine Maitri” was a govt program, why was private fund PM CARES paying for it?

(5/6)

Clearly, vaccines procured under PM CARES were purchased at a MUCH HIGHER price & all were sent to other countries.

Is PM CARES fund meant for PM Modi’s international PR?

Why was it not used to procure vaccines for Indians?

How much embezzled from overpriced vaccines?

(6/6)

Correction* in tweet 2/6:

It’s 60 million not 6 million doses exported.

Correction* in tweet 2/6:

It’s 60 million not 6 million doses exported.