Bhutan hails India for COVID-19 vaccination feat, terms it 'huge accomplishment' for world

Lauding India’s milestone achievement on the global level with respect to the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering on Thursday congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “huge accomplishment” in inoculating one billion Indians against the novel coronavirus. “I have been closely following the spiralling numbers and this morning, in what is a huge accomplishment not just for your country but the world, India hit the one billion mark of COVID-19 vaccination doses this morning. On behalf of the people of Bhutan, I congratulate India! Narendra Modi PMO India," Bhutan’s Prime Minister wrote on his official Facebook handle. 

‘We feel more secure,’ says Bhutan’s PM lauding India’s vaccination campaign

Additionally, Butan's PM lauded the rigorous efforts carried out by the administration of the Narendra Modi government as he said that injecting shots in one billion arms, despite all the challenges “is a feat not many can easily achieve”. He then went on to add that during the pandemic when many countries witnessed a shortfall in the supply of the jabs, any individual getting vaccinated and protected against the deadly COVID-19 was remarkable. Progress in the vaccination campaign such as India’s not only hits a benchmark within the nation but also contributes to global herd immunity, Tshering said. The leader of the neighbouring country also expressed confidence in India’s rigorous efforts in eliminating the novel coronavirus by ramping up the vaccinations, saying that this will be “significant for all of us in emerging from the pandemic sooner”. He then added, “and on a practical note, being a close neighbour, we feel more secure.”

Bhutan leader thanked India’s Prime Minister Modi and also expressed “appreciation” for his contribution in global welfare through sharing of vaccines, medical supplies and other support. “Bhutan has benefited a lot and remains grateful,” he said. India has been, since the start of the pandemic, at the forefront of the global fight against the novel virus as it donated vaccines to the most vulnerable nations of the world including Palestine. 

“I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this achievement. My appreciation also goes to all the healthcare providers and people involved in making this possible, more specifically the 1,000 million people who came forward to take the jab,” Bhutan’s PM said. “It reflects the trust people have in the system. I always believe that the collective, unconditional faith in leadership and the system is key to any nation’s success.” 

'Come, make vaccine in India': PM Modi

PM Modi reiterated at the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session that India has been thoughtful about global welfare and has led the fight against the pandemic through sharing of vaccines. PM Modi also mourned about the global death toll, saying “For the last one-and-a-half years, the whole world is facing the biggest pandemic in 100 years. I pay homage to all those who lost their lives in such a terrible pandemic and extend my condolences to the families.” India’s vaccine delivery platform - CoWIN has been provided for use to other countries, and the digital support has felicitated hundreds of millions of vaccine doses in a single day. PM Modi also gave a clarion call to manufacturers to “Come, Make Vaccine in India”. India has been making generous donations to several other countries and is expected to resume the export of surplus COVID-19 vaccines in the fourth quarter of 2021 under the ‘‘Vaccine Maitri’‘ programme, PTI reported.