Recently, Serrum Institute of India said that each dose of Covishield, the Indian vaccine, will be made available to state governments at a cost of Rs 400. The other day, the Centre reportedly requested the private maker to reconsider the price at which it would be selling the doses to States.

On Wednesday, CEO Adar Poonawalla of SII announced a philanthropic gesture. "I hereby reduce the price to the states from Rs.400 to Rs.300 per dose, effective immediately; this will save thousands of crores of state funds going forward. This will enable more vaccinations and save countless lives," he added.

Almost 22 States in the country have announced free vaccination to all adults. They will be saving money on vaccination, thanks to the new announcement.

It may be noted that the Centre recently gave Rs 3,000 Cr as grants to SII towards ramping up the manufacture of vaccines.