India will give millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccine to its friendly neighbouring countries in the next few weeks, government sources told Reuters on Thursday, drawing praise from its neighbours and countering growing Chinese presence in the region.
Free shipments of AstraZeneca’s vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest producer of vaccines, have begun arriving in the Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal. Myanmar and the Seychelles are next in line to get free consignments as India uses its strength as one of the world’s biggest makers of generic drugs to build friendships.
“The Government of India has shown goodwill by providing the vaccine in grant. This is at the people’s level, it is the public who are suffering the most from Covid-19,” said Nepal’s Minister for Health and Population Hridayesh Tripathi.
The gesture comes at a time that India’s ties with Nepal have been strained by a territorial dispute and Indian concern over China’s expanding political and economic influence in the Himalayan nation. China, which had promised Nepal help to deal with the pandemic, is awaiting Nepali clearance for its Sinopharm shots.
“We’ve asked them to submit more documents and information before we give them the approval,” said Santosh K.C., spokesman for Nepal’s department of drug administration.
Bangladesh was supposed to get 110,000 doses of vaccine free from Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech, but Bangladesh refused to contribute towards the development cost of the vaccine leading to deadlock. Bangladesh has instead turned to India for urgent supplies and on Thursday was due to receive 2 million shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a gift from India.
“India is making the AstraZeneca vaccine which makes all the difference. It can be stored and transported at normal refrigerated temperatures and countries like Bangladesh have that facility,” a Bangladesh health official said.
India had on Wednesday dispatched the first consignment of 100,000 doses of Covishield vaccines from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to Male in the Maldives. With this, Maldives (along with Bhutan) has become the first recipient of India’s gift of the Covishield vaccines, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). Earlier on Wednesday, India sent a consignment of 1.5 lakh doses of Covishield to Thimphu, Bhutan.
Mohamed Nasheed, Maldives’ Speaker of People’s Majlis (parliament) tweeted, “Today, an Air India plane will land in Male’ with 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine – a gift from India. For the Maldives, it’s the beginning of the end of this terrible virus. During the tsunami, ‘88 coup, water crisis or corona pandemic, India has been our first responder and dependable friend.”
Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has publicly announced that India has been the first and the best responder for the Maldives during this crisis. It is noteworthy that Indian assistance comes without any pre-conditions or expectations.
Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said in a tweet that supply of vaccine had renewed hopes for the resolution of Covid-19 crisis soon. “A short while ago, a flight from India with 100,000 doses of the CoviShield vaccine arrived in the Maldives, renewing our hopes for a resolution to the Covid 19 crisis soon. Our heartfelt thanks to PM Narendra Modi, government and people of India for this most generous gift,” he said.
Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid also thanked PM Modi and Jaishankar for their commitment to addressing the needs of India’s neighbours. “Maldives extends deep and profound appreciation to PM Narendra Modi and EAM Dr S. Jaishankar for their commitment to address the needs of India’s neighbours, and for its special regard for the Maldives, at all times,” he said in a tweet.
He said India stands strong and steadfast by Maldives “as first responder in any crisis”.
“Maldives is happy to receive as grant, 100,000 doses of Covishield developed by Serum Institute of India – among the first countries to receive vaccines from India. As always, India stands strong and steadfast, by our side, as 1st responder in any crisis,” he said.
Besides providing assistance in terms of medicines, food items, medical expertise, vaccines, etc, India has provided assistance to the Maldives for its post-Covid-19 economic recovery, like air travel bubble in August 2020 to support the tourism industry, financial assistance of $250 million to deal with the pandemic, and ferry services between the nations to ensure a reliable and predictable supply chain for the Maldives and boost bilateral trade along with food security to the Maldives as well as strengthening people-to-people contact.
An AN-32 reached Paro valley in Bhutan, carrying the first consignment of 150,000 doses of Covishield vaccines. Bhutan Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji said in a tweet that the two countries have an abiding friendship.
“Our profound gratitude to the GoI for the generous gift of 150,000 doses of Covishield vaccines that Bhutan received today. Deeply grateful to GoI for its abiding friendship and unconditional support to Bhutan’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
MEA had said on Tuesday that India will be supplying vaccines to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles from 20 January. The ministry said that India is awaiting confirmation of necessary regulatory clearances concerning the supply of medicines in respect of Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius.
India for years has faced the issue of growing Chinese presence, strategic as well as economic, in countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives. But the demand for vaccines in these countries desperate to revive their tourism-dependent economies has given the Modi government a way to regain its position.
India is considering giving away anything from 12 million to 20 million shots to its neighbours in the first wave of assistance over the next three to four weeks, a government source told Reuters.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS