A thread on the PM’s speech today
1. Most important takeaway: This is not a course correction. It is a mere amendment to the disastrous vaccine policy. Why do I say this?
1. Most important takeaway: This is not a course correction. It is a mere amendment to the disastrous vaccine policy. Why do I say this?
2. The decision to provide “free” vaccines to states for 18-44 is welcome, but it comes with no intent to streamline vaccine distribution by making it dependent on objective, normative and verifiable standards. The arbitrary allocations to states will continue.
3. The only difference is that instead of a three-tiered pricing regime, there will be a two-tier pricing regime as 25 % of vaccine allocations will be to private sector. Already, how this is happening, and what prices are being charged is shrouded in opacity. This won’t change.
4. Since the actual vaccine output of the two vaccine producers is not verifiable (or even reliable) the 25 per cent allocation of vaccines to private companies will remain unverifiable. No mechanism to check prices either.
5. Despite all the brave talk nothing in the PM’s speech actually confirms any significant deliveries of vaccines to India in the foreseeable future. All the talk of other vaccines means nothing within a 3-4 month time frame.
6. That the Centre is going to now procure vaccines is only an affirmation of its costly and late realisation that asking States to procure vaccines was a dim-witted move. This change is welcome. PM is graceless is perpetuating the lie that the States sought the dim-witted move.
7. Instead, if the PM had said the Govt is going to procure so many vaccines within a span of 1-2 months, that would have been newsworthy. India sought a U-turn of its vaccine policy, instead NaMo gave it a minor, aimless detour. More sorrow awaits this land. (END)
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