New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday that India will reach a historic milestone today by administering 1.5 billion COVID vaccination doses in less than a year.

PM Modi, who was virtually inaugurating the second campus of the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) in Kolkata, West Bengal, remarked, "The country began the new year with the immunisation of young people aged 15 to 18. The government is reaching the record accomplishment of delivering 1.5 billion COVID vaccine doses in less than a year today, in the first week of the first month of the year." The achievement  is a sign of India's self-reliance, he said.

"In terms of statistics, it's a massive figure. It comes as no surprise to the majority of the world's major nations. However, it is a sign of India's 130 million residents' ability. It is a symbol of self-assurance and independence "he stated. In October 2021, India achieved the milestone of administering 100 crore COVID vaccination doses.

CNCI's second campus was developed at a cost of around Rs 530 crore, with the Union government contributing around Rs 400 crore and the West Bengal government contributing the remaining 75:25. The complex houses a 460-bed comprehensive cancer centre with cutting-edge cancer diagnostic, staging, treatment, and care infrastructure.

Nuclear Medicine (PET), 3.0 Tesla MRI, 128 slice CT scanner, Radionuclide therapy unit, endoscopic suite, contemporary brachytherapy equipment, and other advanced facilities are available on campus. The campus will also serve as a cutting-edge cancer research institution, as well as providing comprehensive care to cancer patients, particularly those from the country's eastern and north-eastern regions.

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