According to Ministry officials, the license of the vaccine units were suspended by the Drugs Controller General of India, the central license-approving authority of the country, as the WHO had recommended that the laboratories needed to be made Schedule-M compliant.

The All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) has referred to the closure of the PSUs as a clear invitation to private players, saying that such a step would lead to enormous implications for the cost and accessibility of the vaccines. “While, the Ministry has acted with alacrity and closed down production in PSUs, it has dragged its feet in matter where private pharmaceutical companies are involved.”

IN SHORT SUPPLY

• Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharastra, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Lakshwadeep, Karnataka, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Orissa and Jharkhand have said that they are left with less than a month's stock of TT, which is usually administered to pregnant women.

• Kerala, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharastra and Gujarat are facing a crunch for the DPT vaccine, which is given to infants.

• Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Bihar, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshwadeep are falling short of the BCG vaccine.