Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the virtual Global Vaccine Summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which business leaders, UN agencies, civil society, government ministers, Heads of State and country leaders from over 50 countries participated.
In the address, PM Modi offered India's support in producing vaccines at a low cost and said India stands in solidarity with the world amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
India’s civilization teaches to see the world as one family and that during this pandemic it had tried to live up to this teaching, said PM Modi. He added that India shared the country’s available stocks of medicines with over 120 countries, while also protecting India’s own vast population.
Referring to Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi), PM Modi said it is not just a global alliance but also a symbol of global solidarity and a reminder of that by helping others we can also help ourselves. Meanwhile, India pledged 15 Million US Dollars to the alliance.
"One of the first programmes launched by our government was Mission Indradhanush. It aims to ensure full vaccination of our children and pregnant women. India is the world's 4th most producer of vaccines. We are fortunate to contribute to the immunization of 60% of the world's children. India recognises and values the work of Gavi. That is why we became a donor to Gavi while still being eligible for Gavi support. Our support to Gavi is not only financial, India's huge demand brings down the global price of the vaccine," said PM Modi.
Meanwhile, 6,615,298 COVID-19 cases have been registered across the world and 388,759 is the death toll.
