Vaccine costs to strain India’s already creaking State Budgets

India’s 28 states will have to foot about $5 billion or more in vaccination costs after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s federal government suddenly made them responsible for inoculating most adults from May 1. Since they hadn’t budgeted for the jabs or steps to tackle a second wave, their options to meet the additional expense are limited to cutting capital expenditures, selling public assets and boosting borrowing.