Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced that all people above the age of 18 will receive free vaccines in India. The free vaccination will be provided through States from June 21.

Modi made the announcement a good 15-18 minutes into his Monday evening address to the nation. He said that the decentralization of vaccine procurement and distribution was left to the States in May because some States had made such a demand. Since they have demanded re-centralization, the PM said, the Centre has decided to roll back the decentralization strategy.

In summation, 75% of vaccines will be acquired by the Central Government and given free of cost to all States.

The rest 25% of vaccines can be purchased by private hospitals as per the new scheme of things. Those who want to pay for the vaccine can get vaccinated at private hospitals, the PM said.

How much can private hospitals charge as a margin? "They will be able to charge a maximum service charge of Rs 150 for a single dose after the fixed price of the vaccine. The task of monitoring it will remain with the state governments," Modi added.

The PM made another announcement for the benefit of the poor. Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, a free ration has been extended till Diwali this year. More than 80 crore people will benefit. Last year, the scheme was in force for 8 months, Modi reminded.