India calls for securing global supply chains, implement vaccine patent waiver at COVID-19 Global Action meeting

India has supplied over 162 million vaccine doses to 97 countries and 2 UN organizations. As part of the Quad summit outcomes of last year, a billion doses of India made vaccines will be delivered in the Indo Pacific in 2022. 

New Delhi: At the US-led COVID-19 Global Action Meeting on Monday, India has called for "Strengthening and securing" the global supply chain and implementation of vaccine patent waiver. India was represented at the virtual meet by foreign secretary Harsh Shringla. Sources said that New Delhi emphasized that it will "rally with like-minded partners and the WHO to improve sub-optimal approval and regulatory processes which are an impediment for stable and predictable supplies" even as it called for "implementation of the TRIPS waiver". 

The TRIPS Covid vaccine waiver was co-sponsored by India and South Africa at the WTO and aims to diversify local manufacturing so that covid vaccines are available to a large segment of the global population.

US Secretary of state Blinken chaired the meeting that lasted for 2 hours. The meet saw India highlighting its development assistance to the international community by conducting 17 training modules for more than 60 countries on COVID management.