New Delhi, February 21 Union Health Minister J P Nadda launched the indigenously manufactured tetanus and adult diphtheria (Td) vaccine at the Central Research Institute in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, on Saturday.
With the formal launch of the Td vaccine, it is now being supplied under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).
The Central Research Institute will supply 55 million doses to the UIP by April, with production expected to progressively increase in subsequent years to further strengthen the central government's Universal Immunization Programme, Nadda said.
Addressing the gathering, Nadda congratulated the scientists, technical experts, and staff of the Central Research Institute Kasauli, describing the launch of the Td vaccine as a momentous and historic occasion.
He stated that this marks a significant step towards safeguarding national health security and strengthening India's public health infrastructure.
The minister emphasized that the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has set clear targets for achieving self-reliance in the health and pharmaceutical sectors.
Nadda noted that the launch of the indigenously manufactured Td vaccine represents a concrete step towards the vision of "Atmanirbhar Bharat" in health and medicine.
Highlighting India's global standing, the minister also stated that India is widely recognized as the "pharmacy of the world" and is among the leading vaccine manufacturers globally.
He further noted that India has achieved Maturity Level 3 in the World Health Organization's global benchmarking of regulatory systems, reflecting the robustness of its vaccine regulatory framework.
Institutions such as CRI, Nadda observed, have played a significant role in achieving these standards.
The Union minister recalled that historically, vaccine and drug development timelines were long; the tetanus vaccine development took decades globally, tuberculosis medicines took nearly 30 years to evolve, and the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine took almost a century of scientific effort.
In contrast, during the COVID-19 pandemic, India developed two indigenous vaccines within nine months and administered over 220 crore doses, including booster doses.
Nadda also highlighted that COVID-19 vaccination certificates were delivered digitally, demonstrating India's digital transformation in public health delivery.
Referring to India's global solidarity efforts, he stated that under the "Vaccine Maitri" initiative, India supplied vaccines to nearly 100 countries, of which 48 countries received vaccines free of cost.
The minister noted that the contributions of public sector institutions such as CRI strengthened India's capacity to serve both domestic and global needs.
Nadda emphasised that CRI is the first government institute to manufacture vaccines under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards, reflecting the modernisation and revitalisation of public sector vaccine manufacturing units.
He described the Universal Immunization Programme as the world's largest immunization programme. The UIP currently provides 11 vaccines protecting against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases, in which CRI has made substantial contributions.
Nadda noted that every year approximately 2-2.5 crore children are born and a similar number of women become pregnant. From the time of pregnancy registration, beneficiaries are tracked through digital platforms such as U-WIN.
The government ensures that expectant mothers receive five antenatal check-ups, including at least one by a specialist. The immunization and tracking process continues until the child attains 16 years of age, covering 27 doses under the programme.
The minister informed that the annual immunization cohort comprises nearly 5 crore beneficiaries, including around 2.5 crore pregnant women and 2.5 crore children.
Due to systematic tracking and sustained immunization efforts, vaccine coverage in the country has reached nearly 99 per cent.
