Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (July 5) will address the CoWIN Global Conclave, as India is ready and willing to offer the CoWIN platform as a digital public good to other countries, particularly African countries to run their own Covid-19 inoculation drives.

Some 50 countries are taking part, including Canada, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, and Uganda who have shown interest in adopting CoWIN as the digital platform, to run their vaccination drives.

Dr R S Sharma, the CEO of the National Health Authority (NHA), recently said India is ready to share the open-source software for free.

“We are elated to announce that Hon’ble PM @narendramodi would be sharing his thoughts on #CoWINGlobalConclave as India offers #CoWIN as a digital public good to the world to combat #COVID19,” the NHA has said in a tweet.

We are elated to announce that Hon’ble PM @narendramodi would be sharing his thoughts on #CoWINGlobalConclave as India offers #CoWIN as a digital public good to the world to combat #COVID19. Join #CoWINGlobalConclave on July 5, 1500 hrs (IST). Reg on: https://t.co/I15dO7bxsm pic.twitter.com/HtaaYKkW17

— National Health Authority (NHA) (@AyushmanNHA) July 4, 2021

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will inaugurate the virtual conclave and other speakers who are expected to speak at the event include Foreign Secretary H V Shringla, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Sharma.

The conclave will see the participation from health and technology experts representing countries across the world. The conclave aims to share India’s experience with regards to universal vaccination to fight Covid-19 through Co-WIN, the NHA said in a statement posted on its website.

India developed Co-WIN as the central information technology (IT) system for strategising, implementing, monitoring and evaluating Covid vaccination. Recently, many countries have shown interest in using the platform, the NHA said. “India is excited to join hands with the world to win over Covi-19 together with Co-WIN.

“Join us as we unfold the story behind the development of a scalable, inclusive and open platform called CoWIN, the tech backbone of India’s vaccination drive,” it added.

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Vedanta Ltd on Tuesday (20 April) offered its services to provide oxygen from its locked Sterlite Copper premises in Tuticorin  to support the Centre and various states, including Tamil Nadu to ensure those who have been hospitalised by Covid-19 receive oxygen supply.

Sterlite has two oxygen plants capable of functioning independently with the capacity to supply around 1,000 tonnes per day (tpd) to various state governments to meet rising demand.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday (18 April) gave a directive to the industries department to give temporary licences to industrial units which are willing to supply oxygen during the critical time.

This timely decision of directing industrial units to manufacture oxygen taken after reviewing the Covid-19 situation in the state is being seen by many experts as the best possible solution and excellent crises management by CM Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Sterlite Copper, part of the Vedanta Group had actually reached out to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister through separate letters offering services to manufacture oxygen even as the company filed a petition outlining this offer of support in the Supreme Court, in view of the ongoing legal proceedings.

“The Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin contains two oxygen plants, with a combined capacity of producing 1,000 tonnes of Oxygen daily. We would like to now offer these facilities for your use, towards ensuring that there is no lack of this vital commodity in the nation, and also to join hands with the commendable efforts of our PM at this critical juncture,” Pankaj Kumar, CEO, Sterlite Copper said in his letter to the Union health minister.

“We would be grateful to be allowed this opportunity to support the nation’s needs. Our staff stand prepared to get these two plants operational in the shortest possible time and begin dispatching oxygen to the critical areas as per your direction,” he said in the letter.

“The oxygen plant is presently lying shut owing to the orders passed by the TNPCB and the state government… This is a humble request to grant us the necessary permission and allow us to run the oxygen plant, which will be instrumental in supporting the state governments in these critical times,” he said in his letter to the CM.

The Sterlite Copper Plant was shutdown in May 2018 after violent protests rocked Thoothukudi that led to the loss of 13 lives. 

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