Asserting that India has not imposed any export ban on anti-coronavirus vaccines, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said the supply of made-in-India vaccines abroad would continue keeping in mind the country's domestic requirements.
The MEA's assertion comes amid an ongoing debate over export of vaccines with some states having flagged a "shortage" of doses and the Centre maintaining that sufficient quantities of the jabs have been allocated to all the states and that many of them have been unable to inoculate all eligible beneficiaries.
Asked about the status of made-in-India vaccine export and whether domestic calls flagging vaccine shortages could impact the supply abroad, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We have always said the supply of made-in-India vaccines abroad would continue taking into account our domestic requirements."
"Let me reiterate that there is no ban on export of vaccines. In fact, the website of our ministry is being regularly updated to reflect the supply of vaccines that are happening on a periodic basis," he said.
On a question on AstraZeneca sending notice to the Serum Institute of India for not fulfilling its international commitment under "GAVI" and "COVAX", Mr Bagchi said, "Regarding the issue specific to Serum institute, I would refer you to the company itself, they would be best placed to answer that question."
On the issue of procurement of raw materials from the US for vaccine manufacturing, the MEA spokesperson recalled that Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had informed during a media briefing that the issue had been taken up with the US.
India is one of the world's biggest drugmakers, and several countries have already approached it for procuring anti-coronavirus vaccines.
From FLiRT To FLuQE: What To Know About The Latest Covid Variants Covid Still Kills 1,700 A Week Around World: WHO "Sought A Stop To Recruitment": Ministry On Indians In Russian Army Barack Obama Wants Joe Biden To Pull Out Of US Presidential Race: Report World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Shooter Had Trump's Face Right In Middle Of Crosshairs, Shows New Video Comedy Legend Bob Newhart Dead At 94: Publicist Israeli Strike Kills Field Commander In Elite Hezbollah Unit: Report Delhi-San Francisco Air India Flight Diverted To Russia After Engine Glitch Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.