India on Thursday pledged to donate USD 15 million to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement in this regard during a virtual Global Vaccine Summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which over 50 countries - business leaders, UN agencies, civil society, government ministers, heads of state and country leaders participated.
In his address, Modi said that India stands in solidarity with the World in these challenging times, according to a Prime Minister's Office (PMO) statement.
Referring to GAVI, he said it is not just a global alliance but "also a symbol of global solidarity and a reminder of that by helping others we can also help ourselves".
The Prime Minister said India's support to GAVI is not only financial but that the country's huge demand also brings down the global price of vaccines for all, saving almost USD 400 million dollars for GAVI over the past five years.
Modi reiterated that India stands in solidarity with the world along with its proven capacity to produce quality medicines and vaccines at low cost, its own domestic experience in rapidly expanding immunisation and its considerable scientific research talent, the statement said.
The Prime Minister said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the limitations of global cooperation and that for the first time in recent history, humankind faces a clear common enemy, it added.
India has a vast population and limited health facilities and that it understands the importance of immunisation, he said.
Modi said that one of the first programmes launched by his government was Mission Indradhanush, which aims to ensure full vaccination of the country's children and pregnant women, including those in the remote parts of the country.
( With inputs from ANI )