One millilitre of nectar. ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ an answer to unjust terms of foreign vaccine players: Mandaviya 

The Centre’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) mission answered foreign vaccine makers who put forth unreasonable terms for supplying vaccines to India during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

In an article written for the 72nd annual issue of Gujarati weekly news magazine ‘Chitralekha’ on Saturday, Mandaviya chronicled India’s fight against Covid-19, from the development of an indigenous vaccine to countering foreign players’ exploitative deals and the eventual successful rollout of the world’s largest vaccination drive in India.

“Global vaccine makers considered Indian market - with a huge population - a golden opportunity to tap, but on their own terms. There were conditions under which these vaccine companies could even attach or seize the country’s assets. And if there were any adverse events due to the vaccine, the Government of India would be held responsible. It is just unimaginable what these unjust terms and conditions could have done to the country,” Mandaviya wrote.

In 2021, when Covid-19 infections were on the rise, foreign vaccine makers were looking to enter the Indian market. But they had reportedly demanded an indemnity and sovereign immunity waiver to supply their vaccines to India.

In the article, Mandaviya shared “for the first time, the factual and finer details on how the Atmanirbhar Bharat mantra provided impetus to the country’s vaccination drive.”

“If we had waited for the foreign vaccines or assistance, was it possible for India to fight the covid battle as we did? Could we have provided the vaccines to each of our citizens? When the global economy was under complete chaos due to the Covid crisis, could we have brought our economy back on track without the vaccinations and the Made-in-India vaccines?” Mandaviya asked.

One millilitre of nectar

“On May 15, 2020, the US launched its special operation on vaccine, while Britain promised the industry to provide whatever assistance they may need for vaccine development. But a week before this, on May 8, 2020, the Government of India’s health research body Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) announced Made-in-India covid vaccine in partnership with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech,” he said adding that this piece of fact had been “grossly neglected by the experts and those doubting India’s capabilities on vaccination drive.”

This one millilitre of ‘nectar’ termed as vaccine became a strong and decisive pillar for the future of India’s vaccination drive, the Minister said.

After the Prime Minister addressed the nation from the Red Fort on August 15, 2020, he said, the Health Ministry took up the mammoth task of ensuring vaccine supplies without discrimination, influence or VIP culture hindering access.

After January 2021, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) granted emergency use authorisation to two vaccines but, “it was dubbed as Modiji’s Political stunt.”

The Minister further assured that the scientists and the regulatory bodies have considered all required protocols and regulations before clearing these vaccines.

From January 16, 2021, the vaccination kicked-off like a ‘Tsunami’ and bypassed numerous obstacles coming its way.

Digital India mission

“Meanwhile, a platform called COWIN was born out of the Digital India mission. This enabled citizens to look for a nearby vaccination centre and fix an appointment. This provided a new direction to the vaccination drive, and added new dimensions of speed, transparency, equity and governance without discrimination,” he said adding that in India citizens received digital vaccination certificates, while the” so-called” developed countries provided their citizens tiny chit as their vaccination certificates.

“Today over 220 crore vaccine doses have been administered covering 98 per cent of the population. Those saying that India would take a decade to vaccinate all of her citizens, are nowhere to be found now. The entire world admires India’s vaccine capabilities and eagerly looks to source and produce vaccines from India.” he said.

Quoting Stanford University’s research paper and case study on India’s vaccination journey, Mandaviya stated that the Indian economy benefitted USD 18.3 billion from vaccination. The 200-year-old Lancet publication of Britain mentioned in its study that India saved about 35 lakh lives with its vaccination drive, he said.

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