India to provide free COVID vaccine to Nepal, supply to start next week

KATHMANDU: India will be providing 10 million doses of coronavirus vaccine free of cost to neighboring countries including Nepal. The Central Health Committee of India has decided to export the same amount of vaccines to Nepal and Bhutan, according to the news agency Mint.

Bangladesh will receive 2 million doses of the vaccine as a gift from India. Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotte Tshering also tweeted that India was going to provide free vaccines to his country. India will also provide vaccines to Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Mauritius and the Maldives.

India will be distributing 10 million doses of vaccine to neighboring countries. The Indian media has considered this decision as a step towards vaccination diplomacy, with the view that it will work to make the neighborly relations cordial.

Talking to an Agency after the meeting, an official of the Indian Ministry of Health informed that it had decided to provide 10 million doses of Covishield of Serum Institute and Covaxin of Bharat Biotech to the neighbors. India has also stated that the supply of these doses will start next week.