Even as COVID-19 vaccination remains voluntary in India, the Centre said states will not have the option to choose which vaccine to administer to its priority groups, citing limited doses of COVID vaccines.
The choice of vaccine administered in the country remains with the government.
On January 16, India is set to begin the world's largest vaccination drive.?
On January 2, the Central Drugs and Standards Committee (CDSCO) approved the University of Oxford's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for emergency use in India.
Both vaccine candidates have got the approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) although Covaxin is still in Phase 3 trials.
Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) fixed the price for each dose of its Covid-19 vaccine Covishield at Rs 200 (Rs 210 with GST).
The vaccine manufacturer dispatched the first doses of the vaccine on Monday.
The government has placed an order for 1.1 crore doses of the vaccine while committing to procure 4.5 crore more by April of this year. These orders will cost the Union Government Rs 1,176 crore at the current rates.
In his address on January 12, PM Modi said India will approve more vaccines in the second phase of the vaccination drive.?
Taxpayers will bear the cost of the vaccinating three crore health care and frontline workers in the first phase.
"We would have been in a problem had we only depended on vaccines coming from other countries, they are very expensive. Our vaccines are more cost-effective", PM Modi said.