External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday strongly rejected criticism over India’s export of coronavirus vaccines, saying there were global commitments for a variety of reasons, including for procurement of raw materials for production of the doses.
At an online interaction, the external affairs minister said India prioritised vaccination of its people while describing those who questioned why the country was exporting at all as “non-serious” people.
Several political leaders, including Congress’s Rahul Gandhi, slammed the government for exporting over 60 million doses of coronavirus vaccines when the country was reeling under increasing demands of the doses.
The government has almost stopped export of the vaccines following a sudden spike in coronavirus infections.
In his address at the national leadership conclave of All India Management Association (AIMA), Jaishankar said as the situation became tough in India, the government apprised various countries about it and most of them understood.
“Today as the foreign minister, I am pushing other countries, particularly some big countries, saying please keep the raw materials flowing for vaccines to be made in India.
“Why am I doing that because the fact is that there are global supply chains; very few things are made exclusively in one geography, very few societies can say we are autonomous of our reliance on others,” he added.
