New Delhi: The Delhi government is working on a budget allocation where the Covid-19 vaccination will be provided free of charge to city residents at public hospitals run by the Delhi government, sources said.
The special immunization allowance would be presented by the government in the 2021-22 budget to the Assembly, which will meet from Monday.
“The government should allocate funds for free vaccines to all people in the third phase of immunization at its Delhi hospitals,” a government source said.
“It will be (free) for those who fall under the next phase of the Covid vaccination campaign,” the source added.
However, there is no clarity on how much the government can set aside for this special allowance.
Immunization is currently provided free of charge at government facilities across the country to healthcare workers, frontline workers, and those who are prioritized based on age and underlying medical conditions.
The current phase covers 42 lakh of the population of the national capital who are over 60 years old and those between 45 and 59 years old with 20 specified comorbidities. Vaccination for these beneficiaries is provided free of charge in public hospitals, while Rs 250 is charged in private hospitals.
Vaccination is currently underway in the nation’s capital at 402 sites set up in 192 hospitals, including 56 managed by the Delhi government.
Meanwhile, the budget will likely have proposals to open “Sainik schools” in Delhi and promote yoga on a large scale in the city, the sources said. The government is also expected to share its plan to raise Delhi’s per capita income to Singapore’s level by 2047, in the budget, they added.
In addition, the Delhi government is also expected to introduce measures in the budget to simplify business and trade processes and make them more user-friendly in the future, the sources shared.
Entry from: IANS