Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday posed four questions to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about a COVID vaccine.
He asked Modi on Twitter if the COVID vaccine would be provided free of charge and when Indians will be inoculated. He also sought to know from the Prime Minister which vaccine India is choosing and the reasons behind the selection.
"The PM must tell the nation: Of all the COVID vaccine candidates, which will GOI choose & why? 2. Who will get the vaccine first & what will be the distribution strategy? 3. Will PMCares fund be used to ensure free vaccination? 4. By when will all Indians be vaccinated?", Gandhi said in a Tweet.
Last week, Prime Minister Modi tweeted after a review meeting on vaccine strategy:
"Important issues related to [the] progress of vaccine development, regulatory approvals, and procurement were discussed".
Indian pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech has started third phase trials of its potential COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin. The company has enrolled 26,000 volunteers across 25 locations in the country. Its vaccine is expected to be launched in the middle of next year.
India presently has 443,486 active COVID-19 cases, with 133,738 deaths recorded so far, as per the federal Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.