New Delhi: India is now recognised as the ‘Pharmacy of the World’ for its critical contribution to various countries to face COVID-19 pandemic during the last two months.
Stating this, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday said over 120 countries got essential medicines, during the last two months, including 40 of them getting those in the form of grant, free of cost. The whole world appreciated India’s gesture, and this has brought goodwill and reputation for the country.
He was speaking during an interaction with the captains of the pharmaceutical industry and office-bearers of the pharma associations through video-conference. There is abundant stock of HCQ and PCM for its projected domestic requirements and restrictions on their exports were imposed to ensure that the medicines are available to the needy nations, and no unscrupulous element stocks those for unwarranted gains, the minister said.
Goyal assured the pharma industry that the Government will fully support in its expansion, diversification and strengthening. The industry has an important role to play in the Aatamnirbhar Bharat campaign, he added.
The meeting was attended by the Ministers of State HS Puri and Som Parkash, secretaries of the Department of Commerce, and Pharmaceuticals, and officers from departments of Commerce, Pharmaceuticals and Health.