MANY MORE MADE-IN-INDIA COVID VACCINES SOON: MODI

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed India’s progress in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, said that India’s success in saving lives has been a global good, and pledged a commitment to help other countries with more “made-in-india” vaccines.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda, the PM also asserted that India’s campaign for self-reliance — the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan — would strengthen globalism, and spoke of India’s “reliability” as a part of global supply chains in a climate where China’s reliability as a global supplier has come under question. The PM outlined access, inclusion, empowerment and user privacy as key pillars of India’s digitisation drive; highlighted the importance of new technologies but with human-centric vision; and called global investors to participate in India’s story, in the backdrop of structural reforms across economic sectors.

The PM was speaking at what has become a mega event of global political and economic leaders — held virtually this year — with a focus on the post-pandemic world and harnessing the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution.

Tracing back India’s journey against the pandemic, Modi said: “I remember how in February, March and April, many global experts and institutions said that India would be the most affected by Covid-19.”

But, the PM said, India did not get demoralised and instead adopted a “proactive approach” with public participation.