India has kept Nepal under priority to supply vaccines against Covid-19, according to the foreign minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali
He said that India has expressed readiness to immediately provide vaccines against Covid-19 for essential sectors in Nepal, he said, while talking to media upon arrival today at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) after a three-day official visit to India. “India is ready to supply the vaccines immediately for the essential sector,” he confirmed.
India started vaccinisation from today in a large scale as it is home to the world’s largest vaccine makers.
Indian authorities on January 4 gave green signal for the emergency use of two vaccines, one developed by Oxford University and UK-based drugmaker AstraZeneca, and another by Indian company Bharat Biotech.
Nepal expects to receive early supply of the Covid-19 vaccines from India. Nepal’s drug regulator yesterday also granted an emergency use approval to a Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and manufactured in India. “The Department of Drug Administration’s decided to grant emergency use authorisation to the Covishield vaccine being manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India,” according to a press note issued by the department. ““We have given emergency use approval to Covishield,” the department confirmed, adding that the Covishield vaccine can now be imported and administered in Nepal.
Nepal and India also reached an agreement to gradually open the air routes and land routes – that remains closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic – to facilitate the movement of people across the border, added Gyawali, who had reached New Delhi on Thursday leading the Nepali delegation in the sixth Joint Commission (JC) meeting. He also informed that the two countries have agreed to immediately start the construction of Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Bhairahawa, connect a four-lane bridge under construction in Mahakali River with India’s national highway, and build three additional bridges in the Mahakali River. “Nepal and India also agreed to expedite the field location survey related to the Raxaul-Kathmandu Railway line.”
During his stay in New Delhi, the foreign minister was expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting could not take place, though the Nepali side had tried to seek time with the Indian prime minister for a meeting. Gyawali, however, today morning met with India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh. "Had a wonderful meeting with the foreign minister of Nepal, today,” Singh wrote on Twitter after the meeting. “India’s relations with Nepal are not limited to governments in both the countries but it is driven by the people of both the nations. India-Nepal relations offer limitless potential.”
The foreign minister’s India visit after the Prime Minister KP Sharma’s House dissolution move has though raised some eyebrows, the visit remained ‘not as expected by the incumbent government. PM Oli has called a mid-term polls for April 3o and May 10, but it seems uncertain as the House dissolution decision has been challenged in the court dividing the political spectrum in the country.
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