New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired an all-party meeting with the Union Ministers and political leaders of various key parties on Friday to discuss the covid-19 situation and covid-19 vaccine drive in the country.
Addressing the virtual meeting which started at 1:00 PM, PM Modi said that Indian scientists are confident of succeeding in their endeavour of making a successful coronavirus vaccine.
"The world is keeping a watch on the cheapest and safe vaccine. That is why the world is watching India," he said.
Giving further information on the vaccine front, the Prime Minister said that as on date, India has 8 vaccines against the novel virus which are currently undergoing various stage trials. He added that three vaccines have an edge over others, hinting that the country can expect a successful vaccine in few weeks.
PM Modi then said that once the country gets a vaccine, health workers and frontline warriors including essential service providers will be the first to receive vaccine shots.
"India's vaccination would begin as soon as we get a go-ahead from the scientists. In the first phase, healthcare workers, frontline workers and old people suffering from serious conditions would be vaccinated. We've one of the largest networks with experience in vaccination programmes," he said.
The Prime Minister further said that state governments will have a key role to play in the vaccination process and added "a special software has also been developed for vaccine stock and real-time information."
“Teams of central and state governments are working together for vaccine distribution. India has the expertise and capacity in vaccine distribution and fares better compared to other nations," PM Modi mentioned.
Meanwhile, PM Modi has also asked floor leaders of different parties to send in their suggestions in writing regarding the covid-19 situation while assuring that everyone will be heard.
The meeting was held days after PM Modi's three-city visit to top drug makers to examine the covid-19 vaccine progress in the country.
On last weekend, PM Modi had visited Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune at Zydus Biotech Park, Bharat Biotech and the Serum Institute of India (SII) respectively to review the vaccine situation.
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