Bengaluru: Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced free vaccinations for all, India Today adds that the Centre has arranged the finances for the same. 

As reported by the website, the Union government has arranged the cash through supplementary demand. 

For 188 crore doses, the estimate is Rs 45000 crore which will be used to vaccinate 94 crore people in the age group of 18-44. 

It is also to be noted that there is a budgetary allocation of Rs 35000 crore for the same. 

The centre is in talks with various manufacturers. 

The website adds that Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Biological E Limited (BE), which is developing the Biological-E vaccine, is expected to supply 30 crore dosages in the next five months, beginning August 1. Quoting various sources, the website added that the negotiated cost of each Bio-E vaccine could be as low as Rs 150 or less.

Centre uses guidelines: 

The guidelines note that the vaccine procured will be supplied free to all states and Union territories, which will be administered to all people as per priority. It states that with regard to vaccinating those over the age of 18, states and union Territories may decide their own prioritisation factoring in vaccine supply.

The new rules note that the states and the Union territories will be notified beforehand of the vaccine doses to be supplied to them. States and union Territories have to put on the public domain information about vaccine availability at district and vaccination centre level and disseminate this among the local population.

According to the guidelines, vaccine manufacturers have been allowed to sell 25 per cent of the monthly stock to private hospitals. States and union Territories have to aggregate the demand of private hospitals keeping in view equitable distribution between large and small private hospitals and regional balance. The Centre will facilitate the supply of these vaccines to private hospitals and their payment through the National Health Authority's electronic platform based on the aggregated demand.

The government, however, clarified that private hospitals might charge up to a maximum of Rs 150 per dose as a service charge. The price of the vaccine doses for private hospitals will be declared by vaccine manufacturers.