Best of BS Opinion: PSB privatisation, vaccinating India brilliantly & more

Here's a selection of Business Standard opinion pieces for the day

On Monday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the government was not considering approvals for general use of the Covid-19 vaccine. This is a mistake and will hold back control of the pandemic as well as the country’s return to normal economic functioning, the top edit argues. Read it here. In fact, involving the private sector and civil society organisations in the vaccine delivery programme would go a long way towards reaching the critical mass needed to achieve herd immunity. Naushad Forbes crunches the numbers to explain why here.
 

Other views look at the government’s plans to privatise public sector banks and the trade-off between fiscal prudence and welfare spending.
 

The government’s plans to privatise two mid-sized to small public sector banks this year is a step in the right direction but privatisation at scale would not be easy without a road map to deal with the multiple challenges ahead, says the second edit. Read it here
 

Gurbachan Singh explains why he thinks the idea that fiscal prudence and welfare of the less well-off are mutually exclusive is misplaced. Read it here

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Congratulations India, for beating England B”

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen