Will Produce 5 Billion Vaccine Doses for India & World by End-2022: PM Modi at G20 Meet

NEW DELHI: India will produce over five billion doses of Covid vaccines for the country and the world by the end of 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday at the G-20 Summit in Rome, where the grouping met to discuss, among other issues, developments related to the global pandemic.
Addressing the Summit’s first session on global economy and health, Modi pointed to WHO’s delay in granting emergency use authorisation to India’s Covaxin — an acknowledgement at the highest levels of the Indian government that the world health body’s delay tactics may have reasons other than technical inquiries. The big promise on vaccines is seen as a effort to leverage India’s vaccine development capacity to earn friends abroad and present India as a willing and responsible partner in efforts to contain the pandemic.
Briefing journalists, foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said Modi told the G-20 that the WHO’s approval to Covaxin would go a long way in fulfilling India’s commitments because the vaccine would help the developing world reduce the current inequity.
Currently, supply and access to vaccines are largely located in the developed world. Modi also pushed for recognition of vaccine certificates to facilitate international travel to move the world towards normalcy.

Shringla said Modi highlighted the fact that India has extended assistance to about 150 countries during the pandemic. He also invited G-20 nations to make India “their partner in economic recovery, supply chain diversification”.
On Sunday, Modi will join US President Joe Biden’s programme on supply chain resilience and his other programmes would include a G20 session on climate change and environment; a bilateral meeting with the PM of Spain; and a second session on sustainable development. Shringla said, Modi on Saturday had two formal bilateral meetings — with President Emmanuel Macron of France and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore.
Shringla said Modi told Macron that France plays an important role in the Indo-Pacific. The French were outraged after Australia cancelled a submarine deal with them in favour of the US-UK-made nuclear attack submarines under the new AUKUS deal. Shringla said AUKUS was raised in the meeting “but only tangentially.”

In his meeting with Lee Hsien Loong, the leaders “discussed ongoing efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic through expedited vaccination efforts and ensuring supply of critical medicines. In this context, PM Modi appreciated Singapore’s outreach to provide Covid assistance to India during the second wave. Prime Minister Lee congratulated the Prime Minister for the rapid vaccination drive in India,” the MEA statement said.
PM Modi has had a special regard for Singapore and often spoken highly of Lee’s faither Lee Kuan Yew.

Source: ToI