New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Monday. In his address to the country, he said that it was the State Governments which had demanded that they be allowed to buy vaccines for the people of their state. The State Governments had demanded that they should contribute more to the procurement of the vaccine. However, soon they realized that the task was beyond their capacity.

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi was among those who had been involved in the vaccine policy. He had written to PM Modi on April 8, 2021 demanding that state governments should play a greater role in vaccine procurement. Rahul Gandhi had written in the letter, "Public health is a state subject, our states have been sidelined in every case from vaccine procurement to registration". He had also asked PM Modi to enhance the role of states in procurement and distribution of vaccines and provide direct financial assistance to poor sections in this difficult time.

Apart from Rahul, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had also made such a demand. Mamata had said in a letter to PM Modi on February 24, 2021, "We urge you to kindly take up the matter with the appropriate authorities so that the state government can buy the vaccine from designated places on top priority basis as the West Bengal government wants to vaccination of all people". In his address, PM Modi said that two weeks after May, the states began to realise that the earlier policy was better. The earlier policy was a centralised vaccine procurement policy, which the states wanted to change. However, now the Central Government has decided to return to the old policy at the request of the States. Now, the Central Government will give 75% of the available vaccines free of cost to the States. On the other hand, 25 percent of the vaccine will still be available for purchase of private hospitals.

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