Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that his government would provide Covid-19 vaccines free of charge to all adults from later this month in an effort to turn the tide of a pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands in the country, Reuters reports.

Modi said in a televised address that the federal government would take over the task of vaccination from state governments.

"It has been decided that from June 21, all adults over the age of 18 will be vaccinated free," he said.