PM Modi pushes tie up with Luxembourg for refrigerated vaccine transport boxes for Covid vaccine

B Medical Systems, a Luxembourg company, will send a high-level team to Gujarat next week, according to sources in Ahmedabad and Delhi, the report informed.

The company will set up a vaccine cold chain including solar vaccine refrigerators, freezers and transport boxes.

As the coronavirus vaccines are likely to be ready in a few months, the Luxembourg-based company has decided to begin by bringing only the refrigeration boxes from Luxembourg and source the best content from the local market under the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" programmed, the HT report said.

The refrigerated transport boxes will be able to carry the vaccines at temperatures ranging between 0 degree Celsius to -20 degree Celsius though B Medical Systems has the technology to transport vaccines in temperatures less than -80 degree Celsius, it added.

It will take two years to build a full fledged plant, which the company will set up in phase II of the project. The plant will not only meet Indian requirements but also export it to other countries.

Meanwhile, the refrigerated boxes, which will work on solar, kerosene, gas and electricity, are expected to be ready by March 2021, the HT report said.

The proposal to set up the specialised refrigerated vaccine transportation plant was made by Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel during the first bilateral summit on November 19, according to official sources, reported HT.

The report informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately grabbed the opportunity given the concerns over delivery of the coronavirus vaccine to the far flung areas. After which the matter was pushed by both the sides. In a virtual meeting with the CEO and deputy CEO of the company on November 20, Santosh Jha, India’s ambassador to the European Union, finalised the arrangements with Gujarat.