Amid tender row, Mumbai gets bids for Pfizer, AZ, Sputnik V vax

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) had floated global tenders to buy vaccines at Rs 700 crore on May 12. The deadline ended on May 25.

“In response to MCGM’s Global Expression of Interest for procurement of one crore vaccine doses, I wish to inform that eight bids have been received till date. One bid is for Pfizer/Astra Zeneca and the remaining seven bids are for Sputnik,” said Iqbal Singh Chahal, commissioner of the civic body.

TNCC chief Pressure mounted on the Union government from political leaders in Tamil Nadu for augmenting vaccine supply to the State. After the DMK, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president KS Alagiri criticised the Centre for short supply of vaccines to TN, saying this exposes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bias. Referring to the HC observation expressing dissatisfaction at the Union government’s vaccine allocation to TN, Alagiri said the criticism against the Centre was vindicated as it supplied 16.4% of the total vaccines to Gujarat with 6.37 crore population, while Tamil Nadu with 8.3 crore population only received 6.4% of vaccines.

Stating that this exposed the blatant biasness of Modi, the TNCC chief, in a statement, said that Chief Minister MK Stalin floated global tenders to procure vaccine, but manufacturers like Moderna and Pfizer have offered to supply only to the Centre when states like Punjab and Delhi had approached them. Alagiri said, “A situation has arisen where there is domestic demand and it is not possible to procure from abroad. The flawed vaccine policy of the Union government is responsible for this.”