The Centre has planned a special immunisation programme for the Covid-19 vaccine under which it will directly procure the doses and make it available to priority groups free of cost, news agency PTI reported quoting sources.
The Centre, with the help of state and union territory governments, has started the process of identifying around 30 crore priority beneficiaries who would be given vaccine dose in the initial phase, the report said.
The government has demarcated four categories of people for vaccination in the initial phase -- around one crore healthcare professionals including doctors, MBBS students, nurses and ASHA workers, etc.; around two crore frontline workers including municipal corporation workers, personnel of the police and armed forces; about 26 crore people aged above 50; and a special group of those below 50 years of age with co-morbidities and requiring specialised care, PTI reported.