The Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya has launched ICMR’s Drone Response and Outreach in North East (i-Drone) with a view to ensure last-mile delivery of vaccines.
- This is a delivery model to make sure that life-saving vaccines reach everyone.
- Launching the initiative, Mr Mandaviya said, this is for the first time that a “Made in India’ drone has been used in South Asia to transport COVID vaccine over an aerial distance of 15 kilometers in 12 to 15 minutes from the Bishnupur district hospital to Loktak lake, Karang island in Manipur for administration at the Primary Health Centre.
- Currently, the drone based delivery project has been granted permission for implementation in Manipur and Nagaland, as well as union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Island.
