India's Co-WIN redemption

After China steals a march with its vaccine diplomacy, India offers a tech-driven platform to the world to wrest influence

The offer by India this week to the world to utilise its open-source technology platform in keeping track of vaccination drive is a move through which New Delhi should be able to wrest back, through the digital route, the initiative in the global fight against Covid-19.

As countries around the globe embarked upon the inoculation drive or getting ready to launch one to protect their people from the scourge, India on Monday hosted a global conference to showcase CoWIN. The indigenously developed software platform helps people in the country get the jab.

Signalling recalibration of India's contribution to the worldwide effort mounted in the fight against the virus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the conclave: "Technology is integral to our fight against Covid-19. Luckily, the software is one area in which there are no resource constraints. That's why we made our Covid tracking and tracing App open source as soon as it was technically feasible. With nearly 200 million users, this 'Aarogya Setu' app is a readily available package for developers. Having been used in India, you can be sure that it has been tested in the real world for speed and scale".

The development is a subtle shift in the strategy to be among the nations working shoulder to shoulder, cooperating with health authorities and contributing according to its ability after putting on hold "Vaccine Maitri".

Read | India offering Co-WIN to world as tech tool that can be used for greater public good: Vardhan

The Ministry of External Affairs website shows that before calling a halt to Vaccine Maitri, India supplied slightly over 66 million doses to 93 countries besides UN Health Workers and Peacekeepers between January and April this year. These were under grants, contributions under the WHO-mandated Covax and some 35 million under commercial obligations of the vaccine manufacturers. As the intensity of the second wave of Covid19 started to overwhelm, the scenario altered with India having to depend on other countries for supplies, including life-saving oxygen and medicines.

At one time, India took the lead in offering life-saving medicines, medical supplies, personal protection kits and most essential vaccines to countries during the first wave. This scenario altered dramatically when the second wave hit with unprecedented intensity. Meanwhile, China, whose role in the pandemic continues to be a subject of discussion in several world capitals, stepped up to augment vaccines along with other supplies.

Towards the end of June, China contributed 450 million vaccines produced by Sinopharm and Sinovac, with Beijing stating that to date, over 100 countries approved Chinese vaccines and the WHO including these into its Emergency Use Listing. China said over 30 foreign leaders took the lead in getting administered the Chinese vaccine jab while discounting doubts over its efficacy.

New Delhi's initiative is an effort to recreate space and regenerate goodwill when many countries, especially the lesser-developed economies and neighbouring countries, are exploring supplies to vaccinate their people.

Also Read | No vaccine to spare now, but India ready to share Co-WIN app with world

Around two decades ago, when the world was worried about computer systems crashes due to the Y2K bug, Indian software developers were among the pioneers who showed the way to tide over the anticipated crisis. Now offering the open-source application for all the countries in the world, India takes a march in providing a technology-driven solution for countries to keep a record of the vaccination drive and eliminate physical documentation. Once again, this should demonstrate that India, known for its prowess to develop software and a leading supplier in the world, occupies a high perch in this field.

With the world preparing to re-open places for people to travel for work or leisure, countries are discussing methods to verify those vaccinated. The Green Pass plan of the European Union is one such case in point. It created a controversy in India over the non-recognition of the Covishield vaccine, which most Indians are taking. Some countries have come out with amendments while discussions to deal with the situation on a diplomatic plane are on.

Appraising the virtual conclave of the features, PM Modi underscored that the digital approach is needed if the globalised world has to return to normalcy in the post-pandemic period. To prove they are vaccinated, people would have to carry safe, secure, and trustworthy proof with relevant details of when, where, and who gave the required dosages.
Representatives of 142 countries, the European Union Commission and the UN, including Ministers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Guyana and the Maldives, attended the July 5 conclave where India offered countries a customisable software.

(The writer is a Delhi-based journalist)