Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded free coronavirus vaccination for all Indians, a day after the Centre started registrations for the third phase of its immunisation drive, which covers all those above 18 years.

Taking a dig at the Centre, the Congress leader explained the definition of the word “free” in a tweet. “Costing nothing, or not needing to be paid,” he said.

“India must get free COVID vaccine,” he said, citing instances of how the term can be used in a sentence. “All citizens must receive the inoculation free of charge.”

As part of the immunisation programme, the health ministry had said on April 19 that vaccine manufacturers will now have to allot 50% of the doses produced to the Centre. The manufacturers will be allowed to sell the remaining 50% to state governments and private organisations in the open market.

Gandhi had hit out at the Centre for not making the vaccine free earlier on Wednesday too. “People’s money was given to vaccine companies to develop Covid vaccines,” he had tweeted. “Now, GOI [government of India] will make same people pay the highest price in the world for these vaccines.”

He alleged that the Centre has failed the citizens of the country once again and the “friends” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make a “profit” from the government’s decision. Gandhi claims Modi has a close affinity with industrialists, whom he refers to as “crony capitalists”.

India is using two vaccines currently in its vaccination programme – Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Serum Institute of India’s Covishield. While both vaccines are priced at Rs 150 per dose for the central government, states and private hospitals have to pay more.

Bharat Biotech set the price of its Covaxin shot at Rs 600 per jab for state governments and Rs 1,200 for private hospitals. Serum Institute of India on Wednesday reduced the cost of its Covishield vaccine from Rs 400 to Rs 300 per dose. The vaccine was earlier priced at Rs 400 per shot for states and Rs 600 per dose for private hospitals.

Meanwhile, India on Thursday registered 3,79,257 new coronavirus cases that pushed the total number of infections since the pandemic broke out in January 2020 to 1,83,76,524. This is the highest ever single-day rise in cases reported by any country so far, and the eighth consecutive day when India has recorded more than 3 lakh cases.

India also reported a record increase in deaths in a day, logging 3,645 fatalities. With this, the toll climbed to 2,04,832.

Also read:

‘Government with vision essential’: Rahul Gandhi’s dig at Centre on Central Vista project