Tope: Centre must form national policy to rule out hurdles for states

Speaking to the media after chairing a Covid-19 review meeting in Pune, Tope also said although the global tenders floated by Maharashtra and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had received some response, there were many lacunae in the submitted bids.

– Stay updated with the latest Pune news. Follow Express Pune on Twitter here and on Facebook here. You can also join our Express Pune Telegram channel here.

“Until and unless the Government of India intervenes and formulates a national vaccine import policy, the states will continue to face hurdles. In response to the global tenders floated so far, several firms have responded but there are lacunae in the bids. Some companies like Pfizer have made it clear that they will parley with the central government and not with individual states. So the central government must intervene and resolve issues,” he said.

In the GST Council meeting held on Friday, Maharashtra has also demanded tax exemption for medicine and equipment required for the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It is an important demand from the state (Maharashtra). Today (Friday), several states pressed for exemption as it will help them in the fight against Covid,” said deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.