BS Number Wise: The politics of coronavirus vaccine distribution

Opposition-ruled states are doing better in inoculating people after vaccines were made free of cost

In 1215, England’s King John and his barons agreed on a charter to protect the nobility’s rights. The barons had feared that after a series of defeats, the king would extract more taxes from them and or even take control of their territories. Although both parties reneged on the document, the Magna Carta placed limits on the power of the sovereign and became the basis of individual rights.

Laws have evolved since then, but the fundamental principles enshrined in Magna Carta remain. In a quasi-federal structure like India, states and Centre often fight over domain.

The latest dispute concerns administration