India is the only country where the govt, after collecting all the funds, provides nothing in return - not even the basic health infra - and on top of that, tells States/public go buy your own vaccine, and we accept it as our fait accompli !!

If the Centre relinquishes the ++

2/3
responsibility for sponsoring vaccine for 50% of the population, the question is WHY should the States bear it?

▪︎All the Covid relief funds from even small State level companies went to PMCares because only that counted as CSR and NOT Chief Ministers' Relief Funds ++

▪︎The share of taxes transferred to States is steadily going down from 2015-16, while their share of expenditure has been more than that of the Centre

This is because Centre has been cleverly increasing Cess & Surcharge components of taxes as they need not be shared with ++

++ the States

So when the Covid relief funds & greater share of taxes have been cornered by the Centre, why should States pay for the vaccine? Or even the public?