Transformational infrastructure for healthcare – Budget 2021

The government has announced an amount of INR 35,000 crores for the vaccination programme in wake of Covid-19. However, the negotiations between Indian vaccine manufacturers had hinted at a ballpark figure of Rs 60,000-70,000 crores for only the procurement of vaccines during the first phase. Thus, the budgetary outlays falls short of the initial estimates. It is important to note that this estimate also excludes the costs for transformational infrastructure and storage at low temperatures, which have been estimated around $30-80 million.

Quote by Sidharrth Shankar.