Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Global Covid-19 Summit on September 22, 2021.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 22, 2021, said that India has always seen humanity as one family.
Addressing the Global COVID-19 Summit in the US, Prime Minister Modi said, “India’s pharmaceutical industry has produced cost-effective diagnostic kits, drugs, medical devices, and PPE kits. These are providing affordable options to many developing countries. And, we have shared medicines and medical supplies with over 150 countries. Two indigenously developed vaccines have received “Emergency Use Authorization” in India, including the world’s first DNA-based vaccine.”
The PM also exhorted the world to focus on addressing the Covid-19 pandemic’s economic effects.
“We also need to focus on addressing the pandemic’s economic effects. To that end, international travel should be made easier, through mutual recognition of vaccine certificates,” PM Modi said.
It’s notable that recently the UK revised travel guidelines for fully vaccinated Indians, which resulted in a controversy.
The world stood with India, like a family, during the second wave of Covid-19 infections, PM Modi said, adding “for the solidarity and support extended to India, I thank you all”.
Talking about India’s vaccination programme, the Prime Minister said India is now running the world’s largest vaccination campaign.
“Recently, we vaccinated about 25 million people on a single day. Over 200 million Indians are now fully vaccinated. This has been enabled through the use of our innovative digital platform called CO-WIN. In the spirit of sharing, India has made CO-WIN and many other digital solutions available freely as open-source software,” PM Modi said.
Stating that supply chains of raw materials needed for vaccine production must be kept open, PM Modi said that as production increases, India will be able to resume the export of jabs to other countries.
“Earlier this year, we shared our vaccine production with 95 other countries, and with UN peace-keepers.”
He also informed that “with our Quad partners, we are leveraging India’s manufacturing strengths to produce vaccines for the Indo-Pacific region. India and South Africa have proposed a TRIPS waiver at the WTO for COVID vaccines, diagnostics and medicines”.
US President Joe Biden organised the virtual Covid-19 summit on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
It’s notable that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a three-day visit to the United States.
He is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), attend the Quad Leaders’ Summit, and hold a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House. (PW News)
