The SII will commence Covid vaccine export under the COVAX programme from 23 November. Nepal, Tajikistan, Mozambique and Bangladesh are the 4 nations that will receive the doses.
India has exported over 66 million vaccine doses to nearly 100 countries but the country stopped the shipment after the second Covid wave in April this year.
The campaign has run into problems as wealthy nations raced ahead in protecting their people. Only 1/5th of people in poor nations have received a dose, compared with 80% in rich nations.
The US will allocate nearly 1.9 crores of the first tranche of 2.5 crore doses of unused Covid vaccines through COVAX to countries in South and Southeast Asia, and Africa.
Serum Institute, which had planned to supply over 140 mn doses by June, had to pull back because of the domestic emergency, USAID administrator Samantha Power told US lawmakers.
SII also said that the vaccines were exported earlier in January since a large stockpile of doses were left, and the country's number of Covid cases were at an all-time low.
The last time this matter flared up was when Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in a very similar directive in April, called for the relocation of stray dogs in the capital.
Finance ministry says the proposed revamp will focus on structural reforms, rate rationalisation & ease of living, & will be deliberated upon in the coming weeks.
The project is meant to be a ‘protective shield that will keep expanding’, the PM said. It is on the lines of the ‘Golden Dome’ announced by Trump, it is learnt.
Now that both IAF and PAF have made formal claims of having shot down the other’s aircraft in the 87-hour war in May, we can ask a larger question: do such numbers really matter?
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