'India's reputation as pharmacy of the world has been reinforced'

In the midst of global crisis, India has developed a reputation of being the first and reliable responder in the case of humanitarian assistance and disaster responses in the last few years, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative of Vaccine Maitri has raised India's standing and generated great international goodwill for Indians, he said.

Speaking on the Vaccine Maitri Initiative in the Upper House, the minister, "We supplied 150 nations with medicines, 82 of them as grants by India. As our own production of masks, PPEs and diagnostic kits grew, we made them available to other nations as well. This generous approach, so characteristic of our culture, was also extended to the Vande Bharat Mission. Starting from Wuhan, we brought back nationals of other countries while looking after our own."

"Our domestic vaccination programme started in January 2021 and within a few days, we also started assisting our immediate neighbours," he said.

Last year in September, the prime minister in his virtual address to the United Nations General Assembly declared that India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. 

"We also offered to enhance cold chain and storage capacities for the delivery of vaccines," he said.

"As a prominent nation in an increasingly multi-polar world, the international community has greater expectations of us, and we, in turn, are prepared to demonstrate our willingness to shoulder greater responsibilities," the minister added.

In planning and executing Vaccine Maitri, Jaishankar said, "We are naturally guided by a determination to make a difference at a difficult moment for a global society. Our reputation as the 'Pharmacy of the World' has been reinforced in that process. So indeed has the faith in 'Make in India'. But more than the vaccines themselves, our policies and conduct have emerged as a source of strength for the stressed and vulnerable nations of the world."

He also informed the Elders that the supply of vaccines abroad is based on the assessment of adequate availability at home. 

"This is continuously monitored and takes into account the requirements of our domestic vaccination programme as it unfolds in different phases. An empowered committee oversees this entire process," he said.

To date, "We have supplied 'Made in India' vaccines to 72 nations across geographies," the minister added.

"Indian Ambassadors feel every day the warmth of ordinary people across the world for India. In the truest sense, this has been people-centric diplomacy at work. The world sees not just the selfless outlook of India but also of the quality of our products and capabilities," Jaishankar said.

• Rajya Sabha
• S Jaishankar
• Vaccine Maitri
• Vaccine diplomacy
• Vaccine updates
• pharmacy of the world
• international goodwill