New Delhi: The Centre has liberalised the vaccination drive by allowing  private companies to procure coronavirus doses directly from manufacturers at market prices for their employees.
This move assumes significance as India reported approximately 3.16 lakh new cases on Wednesday, the highest single-day count recorded in any country so far since the outbreak of the pandemic.
The Centre has also allowed private agencies to directly import Moderna or Pfizer vaccines without any restriction once they get the green signal from the country’s drug regulator. The government has allowed everyone above the age of 18 years to be eligible to get vaccinated from May 1.
Official sources said a corporate entity can directly import any quantity of the vaccine, paying any amount and the government has no role to play in it. But, the drug controller has to okay this. The Centre, meanwhile, has approved Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, which will be manufactured in India.
