NEW DELHI: In what could be a significant boost to the manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccines in India, Indian ambassador to Russia, DB Venkatesh Varma, on Saturday said that the Russian vaccine Sputnik V’s production in the country will begin in August this year. “The production in India is expected to start in August and 850 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine will be produced in India by about September- October.
Almost 65 to 70 per cent of Sputnik V vaccines produced anywhere in the world will be from India. Russia will export the vaccine to other parts of the world once the demand is met in India,” said Varma.
India had already got 2,10,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccine earlier this month and by the end of May, thye country will receive another 3 million doses.
By June, 5 million doses of the vaccine will be available in the country. As fars the one-dose Sputnik Lite is concerned, the Indian envoy said that once the regulatory approval is given, it would become another area of bilateral cooperation between India and Russia.
On the delivery of the S400 missile system, Varma said that the equipment will be delivered on time in the last quarter of the year.
There will be no delay. “Contracts that have already been concluded are proceeding according to the schedule, there is no delay in any of the contracts,” the ambassador said. The S400 deal is being closely watched and followed with interest because the US has threatened sanctions against India under CAATSA if the deal goes through.