Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that India has fulfilled its global responsibility during the coronavirus pandemic and assured that more vaccines will be developed in the country, the Hindustan Times reported.
“India has in these times of crisis fulfilled its global responsibilities from the beginning by setting up infrastructure related to vaccination,” he said, while addressing a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum. “So far, only two made-in-India vaccines have been introduced, but in the future many more vaccines will be made available.”
He said that India had vaccinated more than 23 lakh healthcare workers within 12 days and expressed confidence that the country will meet the target of inoculating 30 crore elderly people and those with co-morbidities in the next few months.
Modi claimed that India had overcome grim predictions made by experts on the impact of coronavirus in India. “Last year, in February-March, a lot of experts had said the India will be the worst-affected country, there will be tsunami of cases,” the prime minister said, according to NDTV. “They predicted 2 million deaths in the country. But India moved ahead with a proactive public participation.”
Modi also highlighted the measures taken by India to help other countries by exporting vaccines, personal protective equipment kits and essential medicines.
Speaking on the economy, Modi claimed that India focused on reforms and incentive based stimulus during the crisis, NDTV reported.
“Even during coronavirus, we fast-tracked structural reforms and stressed on production linked incentive schemes,” he said. “Despite the pandemic, FDI [Foreign Direct Investment] increased by 13% in India in 2020.
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