The Delhi High Court on Monday adjourned the hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought direction to the respondents to reduce the price of anti-coronavirus vaccine for citizens of the country.
The bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh deferred the matter after taking note that the Supreme Court of India is already examining a similar matter.
The petitioner Rakesh, social activist, through Advocates AK Dubey and Pawan Kumar stated that earlier the price of vaccine at a private hospital was Rs 250, which was reasonable. It is not easy for most people to pay the increased cost of anti-Corona vaccine as it raises the expenses of the common people.
The petition stated that Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has a fixed price of Covaxin for state government at Rs 600 per dosage, and the same is priced for private hospitals at Rs 1200 per dose. Similarly, the Pune-based Serum Institute of India is a manufacturer of Covishield vaccine with fixed price at Rs. 400 per dose for state government and Rs. 600 per dose for a private hospital, which is higher in India than other foreign countries, the plea stated.
The Union of India has sent free of cost consignment of anti-coronavirus vaccine about 361.94 lakh doses to countries such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Oman, Afghanistan, Barbados, Dominica, as per the information of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of Indian Government. But it is very surprising that the Union of India without securing our citizens has been helping citizens of other countries, which is good but the same cannot be done while our citizens have been losing their lives, the plea stated.
The petition stated that due to high rates of vaccine it is further noticed that black marketing has started.
It also stated that many people have been retrenched from their jobs and service by their company as it was not able to run the business and a big population has not been granted their salary. And if the salary has been granted then it was less than what they were receiving before the pandemic.
India has recorded its lowest economic growth in a last 10 years. The low growth of economy has disproportionately impacted the rural areas, where the country's majority of people and poor reside, and without the Government Data, it can be easily presumed that poverty has increased since the day pandemic struck India. The poor persons have been badly impacted and it has further increased urban poverty in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore, Chennai, the plea stated.
( With inputs from ANI )
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