India now being called 'pharmacy of the world': Modi
Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Nov, 2021 02:18 PM
New Delhi, Nov 18 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the global trust earned by the Indian healthcare sector has led to the nation being called the "pharmacy of the world", in recent times.
"We believe in the well-being of the entire humankind. And, we have shown this spirit to the whole world during the Covid-19 global pandemic," the Prime Minister said.
He said "our definition of wellness is not limited by physical boundaries".
"We have exported life-saving medicines and medical equipment to over 150 countries during the initial phase of the pandemic. We have also exported more than 65 million doses of Covid vaccines to nearly 100 countries this year," Modi said.
He inaugurated the first Global Innovation Summit of the pharmaceuticals sector on Thursday. Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya was also present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Modi said that the pandemic has brought the pharmaceuticals sector into sharp focus.
"Whether it is lifestyle, or medicines, or medical technology, or vaccines, every aspect of healthcare has received global attention over the last two years," the Prime Minister said.
He said that the Indian pharmaceutical industry has also risen to the challenge.
The Prime Minister also envisioned creating an eco-system for innovation that will make India a leader in drug discovery and innovative medical devices.
He said policy interventions are being made based on wide consultation with all stakeholders. He noted that India has a large pool of scientists and technologists with a potential to take the industry to greater heights.
"This strength needs to be harnessed to 'Discover and Make in India'," he added.
"Today, when 1.3 billion people of India have taken it upon themselves to make India 'Aatmanirbhar', we must think about ramping up domestic manufacturing of key ingredients for vaccines and medicines. This is one frontier that India has to conquer," said Modi.
The Prime Minister invited the stakeholders to Ideate in India, Innovate in India, Make in India and Make for the World. "Discover your true strength and serve the world" was the message.
Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Pralhad Joshi, Anurag Thakur, Bhupender Yadav, V. Muraleedharan and Arjun Ram Meghwal held a joint press conference at the Shastri Bhavan here on Thursday and condemned the 'unruly' and 'violent' behaviour of the opposition parties led by the Congress.
Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states as well as where the party is in power as part of an alliance, including Tamil Nadu's M.K. Stalin (DMK), Maharashtra's Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena) and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren (JMM) will also be invited.
Besides, the All India Congress Committee, the Maharashtra and Mumbai verified Congress handles, that of Congress Legislative Party leader and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, Mumbai Congress President Bhai Jagtap, state party social media head Abhijeet Sapkal, and around 500 other leaders at various level have been blocked on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the wreckage of the state roadways bus that fell into a 500 metre deep gorge following the massive landslide was recovered this morning, rescuers said.
Senior Home Ministry officials on Thursday reviewed the status of the investigations in the two rape cases in Delhi with officials of the Delhi Police. The review was done on the instructions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the officials said.
All agencies such as the Crime Branch, Intelligence Bureau, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) unit, Harayana Police Commandos and Government Railway Police (GRP) have been placed on high alert.
