Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo
The current Modi aeon in the last 6+ years has successfully made an impact on the history in making. It eclipsed the Congress (Nehru-Gandhi) era of the last 60+ years in a significant way due to deep dedication, commitment and sincere hard efforts in regard to the national cause coupled with an overwhelming support of the people. Narendra Modi has surpassed all the first four charismatic mass leaders of India (for the last one century), such as, Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Vajpayee. He has emerged as a phenomenon not only at the national level but also at the international level.
A country which was seen begging for wheat and Pensilynne six decades ago has emerged as the principal producer, donor and exporter of Covid-19 vaccines. To be precise, 72 countries in five continents Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Africa have already received their initial packages of vaccines from India. Pakistan has been assured a whopping 2 billion doses of the vaccine. The UN heavily banks upon India in respect of its global promises and responsibilities regarding vaccination drive. Bharat, Sanjeevani, Hanuman, Modi and Vaccination have emerged as the new “Panch-Tatva” for the world….in hard practical terms.
The Serum Institute of India created history as an Indian company to enable India give Covid-19 vaccine to the whole world. This Serum Institute of India (SII) may not be a name that is known in every household, but it is indeed the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. The company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Adar Poonawalla told the BBC recently in an interview, “We had bet on a number of vaccines in 2020, which had not even received approval until that time. It was a big, but nappy-risk, because we had full knowledge of the potential of scientists at Oxford, based on our old experience”. He said, “I wish the rest of the companies had taken such a risk, the world would have had too many vaccine doses today.”
He also clarified that a standard of quality combined with other regulatory agencies in the world including the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Regulatory agencies should have agreed to a standard of quality at the earliest. It could have been done together. Adar Poonawala criticized the global system of vaccine regulation and the lack of harmony between them as the reason for the delay in the vaccine. By May 2020, SII had accumulated $800 million to produce several Covid vaccines.
Anyone who has taken the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine hasn’t yet had to go to the hospital. There is no case that has to be taken on ventilator or life is at risk, claims the CEO of SII. He does not seem to be too worried about the new variants of Covid-19. “Those vaccinated might have passed the infection on to someone else, which is not an ideal situation, but it has protected their life.”
The Serum Institute of India is part of the largest vaccination campaign in the world, which aimed to have a vaccine of Covid by the month of August 2020. Bharat Biotech received approval to conduct phase I and II clinical trials for its vaccine candidate Covaxin, that has been developed and manufactured in the company’s facility in Hyderabad last year and it proved to be the fast and accurate manufacturer under the advice of the Union Health Ministry. Vaccines generally take years and decades for testing and production, but in this case, India proved to be a great competitor to any country in the world for inventing and producing the vaccine in a record time successfully.
There are some more companies in India which are engaged in this vaccination drive in the fray, such as, Zydus Cadila, Panacea Biotech, Indian Immunologicals, Mynvax and Biological-E. However, the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech started human trials of its vaccine Covaxin at Rohtak’s Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences long ago last year. The phase I and II clinical trials of the vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 by Bharat Biotech were approved by the Indian drug regulator after pre-clinical studies demonstrated safety and immune response. The company developed the vaccine in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).
Prime Minister Modi kicked off the world’s largest vaccination campaign in a video address to the nation on 16th January 2021. “Normally, it takes many years to make a vaccine but in such a short span of time, not one, but two ‘Made in India’ vaccines are ready,” Modi said in a live speech. India launched it with an initial fund of 10 million dollars. Health workers, frontline workers and those who were most at risk were being given vaccines first. It was on Ist March 2021 that the senior citizens in the country were included as the beneficiary of the vaccination drive under the established procedure protocol to be followed by all and sundry.
One of the great dimensions of the vaccination drive in India is about the role of a minuscule community. In this connection, the report filed by I.K.Wali suggests the following:
“Dedicated to compassionate work and Zoroastrians with a population of only 0.000000000001% in India, we Indians are very proud of you all the members of the Parsi Community…!
Serum Institute of India in Pune, the manufacturer of the Covid vaccine Covishield, belongs to a Parsi industrialist named Adar Poonawala. He offered the Bombay Parsi Panchayat 60,000 doses of vaccine to get the Parsis vaccinated first, but the President of Bombay Parsi Panchayat and besides eminent industrialist Ratan Tata said, ‘We are first Indians and later Parsis. We need vaccine only when all Indians will get the vaccine’.
See how the vaccine starts moving from the manufacturing facility in Pune: The glass bials used for packing vaccines are made of glass produced by a company named Scottslais, owned by a Parsi Rishad Dadachanji. Ratan Tata has given his company’s refrigerated vehicles free of cost for transportation of vaccines across India. If the vaccine has to be shipped by air, then another Parsi Jeh Wadia has given 5 of his jets for it. Dryok, i.e., liquid carbon dioxide, being used to preserve the vaccine is also being given by another Parsi Farook Dadabhoi. Adi Godrej, another Parsi, has handed over his refrigerated units for vaccination stores at 25 places in India.
These fire-worshippers do not want any facility of India, they never consider themselves a minority and till date hardly a Parsi has taken advantage of minority welfare schemes. Parsis consider themselves not minorities but normal Indians and contribute to the development of India. The highest contributors to India’s GDP are paying the highest tax in India. Parsis come to the forefront whenever they have to help India”.
The Government of India has decided to position India as the major saviour of the humankind against the deadly Coronavirus (also nicknamed as Wuhanvirus). The world feels safe in the hands of the ablest leadership of India. Thanks to the Modi Government for making India the real global leader in the acute crisis of the pendamic of the 21st century. Needless to say, the ‘Panchtatva’ of Covid19 has caught the imagination of the world and will continue to guide the future course of events when India is already in a more responsible position of the UN Security Council and the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
(Feedback: ashwanikc2012@gmail.com)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
