Cooperative federalism must be effectively applied for better vaccination strategy to mitigate the effects of pandemic. Elaborate (200 Words)
Refer - The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 4 years
KEY POINTS
· India’s monthly COVID vaccine manufacturing capacity is about 60-65 million doses 60 million by Serum Institute of India (SII) and 1-5 million by Bharat Biotech (BB).
· With every state individually contacting the suppliers and bargaining price and supply, the discretion will be with the supplier.
· This will undoubtedly create interstate inequities, where the poorer states will stand to suffer due to poor bargaining power.
· The SII and BB announced their pricing policy Rs 400 and Rs 600 per dose for the state government and Rs 600 and Rs 1200 for private parties respectively.
· Pricing is dependent on actual cost of inputs, expenditure incurred on clinical trials, sales promotion and small profit.
· The Central government is legally obligated to control the “interstate spread of infectious diseases Concurrent List.
· Assistance to states to combat such diseases is its fundamental duty.
· The Centre has always procured vaccines and other consumables for states under all National Infectious Disease Control Programmes.
· Government has the power to cap prices of all essential drugs, based on the costing carried out by the NPPA.
· In the event of attempts at cartelisation, government can invoke compulsory licensing and expand production, boosting availability at an administered price to states.
