Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, October 22, 2021, addressed the nation on achieving the milestone of 100 crore vaccinations whereby he lauded the difficult but remarkable feat of administering 100 crore vaccine doses. He attributed this achievement to the dedication of 130 crore countrymen and said this success is the success of India and the success of every countryman. He said 100 crore vaccinations are not just a figure, but a reflection of the strength of the country, it is the creation of a new chapter of history. This is a picture of a new India that sets difficult goals and knows how to achieve them.
The PM noted that today many people are comparing India's vaccination program with other countries of the world. He said the speed with which India crossed the 100 crore mark, 1 billion, is also being appreciated. However, he pointed out, in this analysis the point of beginning for India is often missed. He said developed countries had decades of expertise in researching and developing vaccines. India mostly depended on vaccines made by these countries. He said for this reason when the biggest pandemic of the century struck, various questions were raised about India’s ability to fight the global pandemic. Questions were answered by achieving this feat of administering 100 crore vaccinations.
He stressed that India has not only administered 100 crore vaccine doses to its citizens but has also done that free of cost. He said the acceptance that India enjoys in the world as a pharma hub will be further strengthened.
He emphasised that at the beginning of the pandemic, people were anxious that it would be very difficult to fight this pandemic in a democracy like India. Questions were also raised whether so much restraint and so much discipline work here? He said that for us, democracy means taking everyone along - Sabka Saath. The country started the campaign of 'Free Vaccine and Vaccine for Everyone'. Vaccinations were given to Poor-rich, Rural-urban alike, and remarked that the country has only one mantra that if the disease does not discriminate, then there cannot be any discrimination in the vaccination.
The PM also pointed out that questions were raised that most of the people in India would not go to the vaccination centre to get vaccinated. Vaccine hesitancy remains a major challenge even today in many major developed countries of the world. But the people of India have answered it by taking 100 crore vaccine doses. He said a campaign is 'everybody's effort' and if everyone’s efforts are synergized, the results are amazing, and that the Government made public participation the first line of defence in the country's fight against the pandemic.
Adding more, he said that India's entire vaccination program is born in the womb of science, has grown on scientific grounds and has reached all four directions through scientific methods. It is a matter of pride for all of us that the entire vaccination program of India has been science born, science driven and science-based. He said that before the vaccine was made and until the vaccine was administered, the entire campaign was based on a scientific approach.
The challenge was also a need to scale up the production, post which the distribution to different states and timely delivery of vaccines to far-flung areas. But, with scientific methods and new innovations, the country has found solutions to these challenges. Resources were increased with extraordinary speed. The Cowin platform, made in India, not only gave convenience to the common people but also made the work of our medical staff easier.
Concluding the speech, PM Modi said the country knows how to set big goals and achieve them. But, for this, we need to be constantly careful. No matter how good the cover is, no matter how modern the armour is, there is no reason to get careless. Keeping this thought in mind, he requested the people to celebrate the upcoming festivals with utmost care.
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