'India to make 5 bn COVID vaccine jabs in 2022; to be shared with world': PM Modi at G20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 summit announced that India will produce five billion coronavirus vaccine doses next year and the vaccines will be available to other countries in the world, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla informed on Saturday. PM Modi also highlighted India's contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

"In his intervention at the first session, PM highlighted India's contribution in the fight against COVID. He mentioned India's medical supplies to over 150 countries and spoke about our vision of One Earth, One Health which is essentially a collaborative approach in the fight against COVID," Shringla said.

The foreign secretary informed that the concept of PM Modi's 'one earth one health' was well-received by the G20 leader. "We believe WHO's emergency use authorisation approval for Covaxin will facilitate the process of our helping other countries," he said.

"PM Modi invited G20 countries to make India their partner in economic recovery and supply chain diversification. He also brought out the fact that despite challenges of the pandemic, India continued to be a trusted partner in the context of reliable supply chains," Shringla said. The global energy issue was also brought up during the meeting. However, the first meeting of the G20 summit was focussed on health issues. 

On Prime Minister's meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, HV Shringla said that the AUKUS alliance was discussed but not anything major on that. There were no discussions on Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad, he stated.

Pope Francis accepts PM Modi's invitation

Pope Francis has accepted PM Narendra Modi's invitation and is looking forward to visiting India, Shringla said. Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister met Pope Francis. The meeting was originally scheduled for 20 minutes but lasted for around an hour.

The last papal visit to India was in 1999 when Pope John Paul II had visited the country. "Pope Francis has accepted PM Modi's invitation. In his own words, he said, 'You (PM Modi) have given me the greatest gift. I am looking forward to visiting India'," HV Shringa said.

Image: Twitter/@narendramodi, PTI