The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement regarding centralisation of vaccine procurement. In a statement, CII President T V Narendran said the decision will ensure uniformity in price of vaccines besides ensuring quicker roll out. This would also ensure an equitable allocation of vaccines to states, which was a key demand made by CII too.
Mr. Narendran added that making the vaccines available for all the eligible population free of cost will go a long way in protecting the citizens and resuming normal economic activities at the earliest.
CII also welcomed the decision to retain 25 per cent vaccine procurement by the private sector, stating that it will enable industry to contribute to the vaccination drive. The statement further added that CII’s concern and advocacy regarding protecting the poor from loss of livelihoods has been addressed by the Prime Minister’s announcement of extending the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana until November 2021 to ensure free food grains to weaker sections of society.