South Asia Newsline | India self-reliant in COVID-19 vaccination: PM Modi

As India marches ahead in the COVID-19 vaccination drive, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday interacted virtually with COVID-19 vaccine beneficiaries and vaccinators in northern Varanasi city, his parliamentary constituency. Modi said India is completely self-reliant in COVID-19 vaccination and is also helping other countries. The largest vaccination drive in the world has so far covered more than one million people. India's Ambassador to the United Nations, T.S. Tirumurti, on Thursday slammed Pakistan for being one of the co-sponsors of a UN resolution to safeguard religious sites', even as Pakistani authorities remained "mute spectators" as a mob vandalized a historic Hindu temple in the country last month.  As the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan is declining, convincing the general public that the pandemic is still a threat to be worried about has become a challenge in the country. Officials worry complacency could undo that good fortune, as an economic divide emerges between the public when it comes to who is remaining vigilant.