SC questions govt over 'digital divide' in Covid-19 vaccination campaign

Court asks the government to explain discrepancy in vaccine supply for different ages and why states had to pay more for the vaccine.

Requiring people to register on the CoWIN website for Covid-19 vaccination may amount to "digital divide" as those in rural India may not have access to the internet, the Supreme Court told the government on Monday.

"Is this really practical?" said the court when the government’s lawyer told it "villagers can go to computer centres and register... and they will be vaccinated", according to NDTV.com.

The court asked the government to explain a seeming discrepancy in vaccine supply for different ages and why states had to pay more for the vaccine.

The court also grilled the central government over the "digital divide", pointing out that requiring people to register on the CoWIN digital platform before getting the shot will hamper vaccination efforts in rural areas, where access to the internet is unreliable.

"For entire population above 45, centre is procuring (vaccines) but for 18-44 there is bifurcation of procurement - 50 per cent available to states by manufacturers and price is fixed by the centre, and rest to be given to private hospitals. What is the (actual) basis for this?" the court asked, according to NDTV.

India reported on Monday its lowest daily rise in new coronavirus infections since April 11 at 152,734 cases over the past 24 hours, while deaths rose by 3,128.