Kasauli, Feb 21 : Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J. P. Nadda on Saturday launched the indigenously manufactured tetanus and adult diphtheria (Td) vaccine at the Central Research Institute (CRI) here in Himachal Pradesh.

Addressing the gathering, Union Minister Nadda congratulated the scientists, technical experts and staff of the Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli, describing the indigenous launch of the tetanus and adult diphtheria vaccine as a momentous and historic occasion.

He stated that the launch marks a significant step towards safeguarding national health security and strengthening Indiaâ??s public health infrastructure.

The Union Minister underlined that the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has set clear targets for achieving self-reliance in the health and pharmaceutical sectors.

He noted that the launch of the indigenously manufactured Td vaccine represents a concrete step towards the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat in health and medicine.

With the formal launch of the Td vaccine , the vaccine has now been introduced for supply under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).

The Central Research Institute will supply 55 lakh doses to the UIP by April, with production expected to scale up progressively in subsequent years to further strengthen the Universal Immunisation Programme of the government of India, he said.

Highlighting India's global standing, Nadda also stated that India is widely recognized as the â??pharmacy of the worldâ?? and is among the leading vaccine manufacturers globally.

He said India has achieved Maturity Level III in the World Health Organization's global benchmarking of regulatory systems, reflecting the robustness of its vaccine regulatory framework.

Institutions such as CRI, and have played a significant role in achieving these standards.

The Union Health Minister recalled that historically vaccine and drug development timelines were long --tetanus vaccine development took decades globally, tuberculosis medicines took nearly 30 years to evolve, and the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine took almost a century of scientific effort. In contrast, during the COVID-19 pandemic India developed two indigenous vaccines within nine months and administered over 220 crore doses, including booster doses.

He also highlighted that COVID-19 vaccination certificates were delivered digitally, demonstrating Indiaâ??s digital transformation in public health delivery.

Referring to India's global solidarity efforts, he said under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India supplied vaccines to nearly 100 countries, of which 48 countries received vaccines free of cost.

He said the contributions of public sector institutions such as CRI strengthened Indiaâ??s capacity to serve both domestic and global needs.

Nadda emphasised that CRI is the first government institute to manufacture vaccines under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards, reflecting the modernisation and revitalisation of public sector vaccine manufacturing units. Highlighting the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), he described it as the world's largest immunisation programme.

The UIP currently provides 11 vaccines protecting against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases, in which CRI has made substantial contributions.

He said every year approximately 2 to 2.5 crore children are born and a similar number of women become pregnant.

From the time of pregnancy registration, beneficiaries are tracked through digital platforms such as U-WIN.

The government ensures that expectant mothers receive five antenatal check-ups, including at least one by a specialist. The immunization and tracking process continues until the child attains 16 years of age, covering 27 doses under the programme.

/IANS