Modi says India is attempting to boost capacity to make vaccines

India is attempting to boost its capacity to make vaccines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, as new coronavirus cases in the world’s second-most populous nation surged to a record.

Modi made the comments during a meeting with state chief ministers to discuss ways to check the rapid rise of infections in the South Asian nation. Some states have said that they are facing a shortage of vaccines. For Modi, who is hoping to accelerate a nascent growth in Asia’s third-largest economy after it slumped into a historic recession last year, the unfolding health crisis may further harm his international image that was dented when India curbed vaccine exports. Meanwhile, renewed restrictions to curb the pandemic are spurring public anger at the government’s failure to get ahead of the virus despite a months long lull.