India To Make CoWin Available To All Countries: PM Modi

New Delhi: India’s technology platform for COVID vaccination – CoWin -is being made open source and soon it will be available to all countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday (July 5), asserting that India has been committed to sharing its expertise and resources with the global community in combating the pandemic. Addressing the CoWIN Global Conclave via video conference, PM Modi said experience shows that no nation, no matter how powerful, can solve a challenge like this pandemic in isolation. “Right from the beginning of the pandemic, India has been committed to sharing all our experiences, expertise and resources with the global community in this battle,” the prime minister said.

Also Read: COVID-19 Vaccines Effective Against Delta Variant Of Novel Coronavirus, Says Dr Anthony Fauci

“Despite all our constraints, we have tried to share as much as possible with the world,” he said. Noting that technology is integral to India’s fight against COVID-19, PM Modi said luckily, software is one area in which there are no resource constraints.

That’s why we made our COVID tracing and tracking App open source as soon as it was technically feasible, he said.

Asserting that vaccination is the best hope for humanity to emerge successfully from the pandemic, PM Modi said right from the beginning, “we in India decided to adopt a completely digital approach while planning our vaccination strategy”.

Indian civilization considers the whole world as one family and this pandemic has made many people realise the fundamental truth of this philosophy, he said.

That’s why, our technology platform for COVID vaccination – the platform we call CoWIN- is being prepared to be made open source so (that) it will be available in any and all countries, PM Modi said.

About 50 countries, including Canada, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama and Uganda, have shown interest in adopting CoWIN to run their vaccination drives, Dr R S Sharma, the CEO of the National Health Authority (NHA), had said recently, adding that India is ready to share the open-source software for free.

Also Read: WHO Chief Calls For Vaccinating 10 Per Cent Population In Every Nation By September

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.