Centre steps in after foreign Covid-19 vaccine makers say no to state govts

Union govt in direct talks with firms but order book full for now

The Union government is in direct talks with global vaccine manufacturers to facilitate regulatory clearance and procurement of doses, the health ministry said on Monday. This follows the stand taken by foreign vaccine makers such as Moderna and Pfizer that they would only deal with the Centre and not individual states.  

The Centre had last month announced a "liberalised’’ vaccination policy with effect from May 1. The revised policy, made public on April 19, empowered states to procure vaccine doses directly from manufacturers. The move had prompted many states to float global tenders to procure vaccines from international firms. But, on