‘MADE-IN-INDIA’ COVID VACCINES PROVIDED TO 50 COUNTRIES: PM MODI

Reiterating India’s massive contribution in fighting the coronavirus pandemic across the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that ‘Made in India’ Covid-19 vaccines have been provided to more than 50 countries.

Speaking at a virtual India-Sweden summit alongside Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, PM Modi said: “During the Covid-19 pandemic, on a regional and on a global level, we have understood the importance of collaboration. India has provided medicines and other essential items to over 150 countries. Along with this, with the help of online training programmes, we shared our experiences with frontline workers and lawmakers of Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa.”

The Prime Minister added, “We have provided ‘Made in India’ vaccines to around 50 countries so far. We are committed to supplying vaccines to even more countries in the days to come.”

As New Delhi has supplied ‘Made-in-India’ Covid-19 vaccine to countries around the world, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has appreciated India’s role as the pharmacy of the world. “Swedish Prime Minister greatly appreciated India’s role as the pharmacy of the world,” Secretary (West) in Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Vikas Swarup said during a briefing on India-Sweden Summit.

India, a world pharmacy, is at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19.India has so far supplied 476.26 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccine globally, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Swedish PM Lofven announced his country’s decision to join the International Solar alliance, Swarup said, adding that Prime Minister Modi has welcomed the decision. The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a treaty-based inter-governmental organisation working to create a global market system to tap the benefits of solar power and promote clean energy applications.

“Welcoming the decision, Prime Minister Modi said that Sweden expertise and experience in clean and renewable energy will contribute significantly to the solar alliance and our collective effort to meet the challenge of climate change,” he said.

PM Modi and Lofven held India-Sweden virtual Summit on Friday, which lasted for nearly an hour, said Vikas Swarup. They held a “wide-ranging discussion” during the summit.

This was the fifth interaction between the two leaders since 2015. PM Modi had visited Stockholm in April 2018 for the first India Nordic Summit. Lofven had visited India in February 2016 for the special ‘Make in India’ week. Earlier, the two leaders had met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2015. In April 2020, the two Prime Ministers had a telephonic conversation to discuss the situation arising out of the pandemic.

With agency inputs