Dr Jitendra Singh visits London Science Museum and shares India’s experience in successful vaccine initiatives

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today visited the 175 year old London Science Museum and shared the experience of the initiative of setting up similar science museums undertaken by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in India.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that the idea of setting up these museums is to help enable the common citizens particularly the youngsters to realise their hidden potential and sometimes even discover their inherent aptitudes of which they themselves may not be aware of. It also ignites curiosity in them which then may help sharpen their scientific temper and inspire creative innovation.

The Science Museum is a major museum on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London. It was founded in 1857. The management of the museum was particularly impressed by India’s covid success story.

The tour mainly focussed on areas of Energy revolution, Vaccines and Space gallery.

The Minister was taken around the exclusive pavilion set up to trace the history of Covid pandemic right from the first case that appeared to the first person who got vaccinated. The history has been recorded in chronological order for the awareness and education of people. India’s lead role in the management and prevention of Covid has shown to be recognised in the pavilion.

The Minister was impressed with another pavilion devoted exclusively to the tropical diseases prevalent in the Indian subcontinent and special section of the exhibition with banners written in Hindi language dedicated to the polio eradication programme led by India which has been an iconic role model for the rest of the world in the area of preventive healthcare.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that India is fast emerging as the world’s major bio-economy and over the last few years, it has grown by leaps and bounds when it comes to innovation and technology. He pointed out that India has developed four indigenous Vaccines in just two years.

The Minister added that the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in Ministry of Science & Technology has through “Mission COVID Suraksha”, delivered four vaccines, augmented the manufacturing of Covaxin, and created necessary infrastructure for smooth development of future vaccines, so that our country is pandemic ready.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that the world is now increasingly realising India’s superlative capacities in the preventive healthcare and we are now in the process of developing several other vaccines in the series. Recently after the first DNA vaccine, the first nasal vaccine has also been successfully manufactured and an other vaccine related to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which has helped in the prevention of cervical cancer has also been developed.

Dr Jitendra Singh underlined that the Indian vaccine market, which has carved out a place for itself at the global level, is expected to reach a valuation of Rs 252 billion by 2025. He also called for Extended Collaboration in Biotech StartUps and Vaccine Development between India and the United Kingdom.

Dr Jitendra Singh is leading a high-level official Indian delegation of the Ministry of Science & Technology on a 6-day visit to the United Kingdom.