Facing an acute shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, the Odisha government on Monday decided to float a global tender for procuring the vaccine to inoculate the states entire population, Chief Secretary SC Mohapatra said.

The decision was made at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The Cabinet also allowed the state government to exert pressure on the Centre for exemption of taxes like GST on COVID-19 vaccines, medicines and equipment required for the treatment of coronavirus patients.

“It is felt that complete vaccination is the best way to protect precious lives of the people. Therefore, the Cabinet allowed the state government to go for global tender and get vaccines at the earliest,” Mohapatra said.

He said that a technical committee will soon be formed to suggest the state government on how to procure the best quality vaccines being made by leading manufacturers across the world.

The technical committee will also suggest the state government on measures to be taken to protect life, livelihood and return of normalcy, the chief secretary said.

Since the state government has been spending crores of rupees from its own resources for testing, tracing and treating people affected by COVID-19, the Cabinet felt that the Centre should share with it the amount collected as cess and surcharge from petrol, diesel and other items.

“The state’s economy should support the expenditure being done on COVID-19 detection and treatment. Therefore, exemption of taxes and share in the cess and surcharges being collected by the Union Government is most essential,” Mohapatra said quoting the Cabinet decision. The Cabinet also discussed the situation of Israel where most of its population has been vaccinated and normalcy has returned to that country, Mohapatra said.

The vaccination has helped in checking the spread of infection among health care workers and frontline workers in Odisha, Mohapatra said.

“If at all vaccinated people get the infection, the intensity is very less,” he said.

Vaccination is a must as nobody knows how many waves will hit the state, the senior official said.