Congress slams BJP over profiteering in the middle of pandemic

The Congress on Sunday accused the centre of “profiteering of Rs.1,11,100 crore” in the middle of a pandemic and stepped up its attack on a “discriminatory and insensitive vaccination policy”, underlining tension over manufacturers charging up to 700 per cent more per dose in the open market.
Party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the centre had “abandoned” India’s young – those between 18 and 45, who can get vaccinated from May 1 – by asking them to pay more per dose than those older had; people over 45 were vaccinated either for free or at nominal prices.

“Modi government’s vaccination policy has deregulated 50 per cent production of the two vaccine manufacturers – Serum Institute (Covishield) and Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) – as free from price regulation… to fix the prices for supply to states and private institutions,” the Congress said.

“The two have now released an absolutely discriminatory pricing policy…” the party added.

This week both Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech announced the prices of their Covid vaccine on the open market. SII’s Covishield will cost states ₹ 400 per dose and private hospitals ₹ 600. Covaxin will cost ₹ 600 per dose for state governments and double that – ₹ 1,200 – for hospitals.

Both will continue to sell 50 per cent of their output to the centre at ₹ 150 per dose. The centre has said it will make its share of vaccines available for free, but has not commented on the higher prices.

For an individual to get the recommended two doses it could, therefore, cost as much as ₹ 2,400.

The pricing – part of the centre’s new “liberalised” vaccination policy – has attracted criticism from opposition parties, who have reminded the centre of it’s “one nation, one price” war cry.