Does govt have Rs 80,000 cr to buy, give out vaccine, Serum Inst chief asks

Experts say even as vaccine is being developed, govt should put in place its strategy for distribution and procurement instead of waiting for the vaccine to be ready

The chairman of Serum Institute of India, Pune Adar Poonawalla has estimated that the government would need to spend Rs 80,000 crore over the next one year to buy and distribute coronavirus vaccines to everyone in India. 

Questioning the health ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office in a tweet, Poonawalla said, “Quick question: will the government of India have 80,000 crores available, over the next one year? Because that's what @MoHFW_INDIA needs, to buy and distribute the vaccine to everyone in India. This is the next concerning challenge we need to tackle. 

Poonawala said, “I ask this question, because we