Rs 35,000-crore fund enough to vaccinate 1 billion: Govt estimates

Sources in the know say that the govt has so far spent about 5,000 crore on vaccines in the current financial year (since April).

Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced free supply of Covid-19 vaccines to states for all adults, government officials indicated that the Centre’s budgetary allocation of Rs 35,000 crore for the inoculation drive would be adequate. This amount would enable the government to vaccinate about a billion people, assuming that a jab costs Rs 150, a senior finance ministry official said.
 
While the Centre procures vaccines at Rs 150 per dose, state governments and private hospitals have been getting it at a much higher price. On Monday, the PM said that the Centre would return to the centralised