India's big vaccine push: 200 crore doses to be available by December, Nadda says
India will have as many as 200 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of this year, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda said Thursday. He lauded the preparations of the Central government to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Nadda, who was inaugurating the new office building of BJP in Arunachal Pradesh via video conference, said that the country had only one testing lab last year and the testing capacity stood at 1500.
"Today 25 lakh samples are being tested daily and we have 2500 labs. The preparation of the government of India is commendable and reflects the country's strength," he said.
Nadda said, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, India increased its oxygen production from 900 metric tonnes to 9446 MT to provide to the states.
"Within 9 months, India had two vaccines - an unprecedented step in our nation's hstory. At the beginning of the campaign, only 2 companies were making vaccines. Today, 13 companies are making vaccines in India. By December, 19 companies in India will be making vaccines and India will have 200 crore vaccine doses," the BJP chief said.
Recalling the party's origins, Nadda said the BJP has shifted from a room to a dedicated office in the last two decades. "The office is built on 472 sq kms, it has six floors and 33 rooms, canteens, conference rooms, IT Social media cells and libraries too. It has every amenity a karyalaya needs. There is a difference between an office and a karyalaya. An office runs from 9-5 but a karyalaya runs 24*7. Karyakartas discuss several issues in a karyalaya all the time."
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