Industry seeks participation in COVID-19 vaccination programme: CII

India Inc has sought the government’s permission to contribute to the Covid-19 vaccination drive by inoculating employees and their immediate family members.

Businesses could also conduct vaccination programmes for local communities through corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said in a statement on Thursday.

This would benefit about 100 million people in the formal sector and local communities by providing them with confidence at the workplace and hasten the vaccination process, it said.


“Industry can supplement and contribute to the government’s programme with appropriate checks and balances, throughout the envisaged three phases, so as to further reach out the vaccine to those sections of the population who can contribute to the economic revival of the country,” said TV Narendran, chairman of the CII’s vaccine task force.

While the corporate affairs ministry has permitted firms to count funds spent on vaccination drives for local communities as CSR spends, it has barred the same for firms looking to vaccinate employees.

The industry body also suggested that the private sector be allowed to participate in the government’s vaccination programme, with appropriate checks and balances, to ramp up the rollout and reach target groups quicker.

The government plans to implement the vaccination drive, launched on January 16, in three phases by July. About 30 million healthcare and frontline workers are to be covered in the first stage, followed by 260 million people aged 50 years and above in the second stage and, finally, 10 million people below 50 and with co-morbidities.

Since vaccines have a finite longevity, the private sector could help ensure that they are provided to willing users before they expire, the CII said.

India has covered nine million people so far under its Covid-19 vaccination drive amid hesitancy among healthcare and frontline workers to take the jabs owing to concerns over safety.