The Akali Dal has alleged that 40,000 Covaxin doses had been sold for “hefty profits” (File)

New Delhi:

The Punjab government has withdrawn an order providing “one time limited vaccine doses to 18-44 age group population through private hospitals” after a massive political row, sparked by allegations from the Akali Dal it was “diverting” Covaxin doses at “hefty margins”.

A brief letter – signed by Vikas Garg, the state-in-charge for vaccination – said the order “has not been taken in the right spirit and is hereby withdrawn”.

“Further, it has been decided that the private hospitals should return forthwith all the vaccine doses available with them. The doses which they have utilised as of date should also be returned, once they get supplies from the manufacturers,” the order added.

Hours earlier, the Union Health Ministry had asked the state to respond to the allegations.

A letter to the Principal Secretary of the state’s Health Department referred to an NDTV report on a tweet by Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal, who said Thursday that “vaccines procured at Rs 400 per dose (are being) sold to private hospitals for Rs 1,060” – “hefty margin” of Rs 660 per dose.

“The state government is, therefore, requested to confirm the veracity of this news article and send a clarification to MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) immediately in this regard,” the Health Ministry said in its letter.

Earlier today Punjab Health Minister BS Sidhu, who is due to hold a press briefing, told news agency ANI his department does not have “control over vaccines”.

“I don’t have control over vaccines. I just look over treatment, testing, sampling of COVID-19 and vaccination camps. We will definitely set an inquiry… I myself can enquire…,” Mr Sidhu said.

He also indicated the responsibility, in this case, lay with two senior government officials.

The state government – dealing with a possible revolt ahead of next year’s election – found itself at the centre of a storm after Mr Badal said it had re-sold 40,000 doses of Covaxin at “hefty margins”.

Mr Badal said the doses had been purchased at Rs 400 per dose and sold to private hospitals for Rs 1,060 per dose. The hospitals then administered it to eligible beneficiaries at Rs 1,560 per dose.

He slammed the actions of an “immoral” Congress government, calling for a High Court-monitored probe and a case against Mr Sidhu.

The BJP – fiercely criticised by the Congress over the national coronavirus vaccination policy – also hit out, with Union Minister Prakash Javadekar leading the charge this afternoon.

On Thursday junior Finance Minister Anurag Thakur also slammed the Punjab government; according to ANI he said they were showing a “callous attitude towards the people”.

Punjab is among several states to have red-flagged low vaccine stocks over the past few weeks, as the country battles a devastating second wave of Covid infections and deaths.

Vaccine supplies have become a subject of heated dispute between the centre and several states, after many frequently suspended vaccination over the past few months citing a lack of doses.

The centre has said it will vaccinate the whole country by the end of December, but the Supreme Court this week asked several tough questions about how it plans to achieve that target.

Among those questions were some on the centre’s differential pricing policy, which the Congress, in April, slammed as “vaccine profiteering” on the part of the centre.