Rahul Gandhi takes 3-point dig at Centre's vaccination plan for people above 18 years

New Delhi, Apr 20: Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the Centre's plan to vaccinate people above 18 years of age is not a "distribution strategy but a vaccine discrimination".

Taking to Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said that there is no free vaccines for those between 18 to 45 years of age and neither there is a vaccine guarantee for weaker sections, in the Centre's third vaccination drive.

"• No free vaccines for 18-45 yr olds. • Middlemen brought in without price controls. • No vaccine guarantee for weaker sections. GOI's Vaccine Discrimination- Not Distribution- Strategy!," Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

On Monday, the central government announced that everyone above 18 years of age will be eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19 from May 1. It also liberalised the vaccination drive to allow states, private hospitals and industrial establishments to procure the doses directly from manufacturers.

The first phase of the nationwide vaccination drive was launched on January 16, prioritising protection for healthcare workers and frontline workers.

It can be seen that the second phase was initiated from March 1 to vaccinate people above 45 years of age who account for more than 80 per cent COVID-19 mortality in the country.

Under the third phase of the national vaccination drive commencing next month, the vaccine manufacturers would supply 50 per cent of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) released doses to the central government and would be free to supply the remaining 50 per cent doses to state governments and in the open market.

Manufacturers would have to make an advance declaration of the price for the 50 per cent supply that would be available to the state governments and in the open market before May 1, 2021, an official statement by the Union Health Ministry said.