Odisha to float global tender to procure Covid vaccines

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday approved a proposal to float a global tender to procure Covid vaccines for the people of the state.

This will help Odisha cover vulnerable population thereby saving lives and restoring the livelihoods of people.

The Cabinet also urged the Centre to exempt vaccines from all tax liabilities to reduce burden on states’ finances and facilitate Odisha’s drive towards universal vaccination.

It requested for suitable sharing of various cess and surcharges at this juncture to augment states’ resources.

Strengthening Odisha’s preparedness to fight 2nd wave of COVID-19, the Cabinet has given approvals to amendments in IPR 2015 to incentivise production of medical oxygen in the state and offer benefits to those manufacturing medical oxygen and its containers.

It also appreciated the hard work and sacrifices of COVID warriors across the state and expressed heartfelt gratitude to the people for their cooperation in the fight against COVID19-whether it is testing, tracing, vaccination and lockdown.