A group of 64 envoys arrived in Hyderabad on Wednesday to visit leading biotech companies Bharat Biotech and Biological E in view of the growing global interest in COVID-19 vaccine development programme in India.

The visit by heads of 64 missions comes a month after the Ministry of External Affairs briefed over 190 heads of diplomatic missions and representatives of leading international organisations on COVID-19 related issues.

The visit was preceded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad and Serum Institute of India in Pune on November 28 to conduct an extensive review of the vaccine development and manufacturing process.

India has already announced that its vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and it will also help countries in enhancing their cold chain and storage capacities.

In the last few months, India has provided medical supplies to nearly 150 countries, more than half on a non-commercial basis.

India also sent medical teams to a number of its neighbouring countries to help them in dealing with the pandemic.