Chief minister Naveen Patnaik sought exemption of GST on purchase Vaccines for Covid-19 by the states for the Population between the age group of 18 to 45 years.
In a letter to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the chief minister also sought financial assistance to the states from cess and surcharges collected by the government of India.
Strengthening states financially will further strengthen the fight against the pandemic including provision of vaccinations, free treatment, undertaking preventive measures and other steps.
The has estimated to spend around Rs 2,000 crore to vaccinate around 2 crore population between the age group of 18 and 45 years.