India capable of meeting domestic Covid-19 vaccination demand, says Hardeep Puri

The Union minister said India was the first to take measures against the spread of Covid-19 by blocking international flights from China.

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri told Parliament on Tuesday that India was the first nation to block flight from China when the country revealed the origins of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in December 2019.

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri hailed India as one leading manufacturers of Covid-19 vaccines. (File photo)

The former Union minister for civil aviation, who has since the Cabinet reshuffle, earlier this month, assumed the charge of petroleum and natural gas ministry was speaking at the Rajya Sabha.

Taking an indirect dig at the opposition parties the Union minister said India imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 25, 2020, as a measure to check the spread of the virus.

"On one hand we are told lockdown is too severe & at the same time you want to have the cake & eat it too," news agency ANI posted on Twitter quoting the minister.

Puri hailed India as one leading manufacturers of vaccines against Covid-19 and said the Centre would be able to meet the domestic demand of the immunisation drive. "As of yesterday (Monday), we had administered 42 crore doses," the minister told the Upper House.

India’s cumulative Covid-19 vaccination coverage touched 41,13,55,665 on Monday.