Russia has shown that it is aatmanirbhar (self-reliant) by producing the first coronavirus vaccine, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said on Sunday. In India, there is only talk of being self-reliant, Raut said in his weekly column Rokhtokh in the Sena mouthpiece Saamana. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced his country has developed the first vaccine against COVID-19, adding one of his daughters has already been vaccinated.

There is a lot of skepticism about Russia's vaccine among international experts, who say it has not gone through the rigorous process of human trials. The World Health Organisation has said the Russian vaccine is not among the nine it considers in advanced stages of testing.

It is encouraging countries to join the COVAX facility designed to guarantee rapid, fair and equitable access to vaccines worldwide.

'When there was a global movement to prove the Russian vaccine illegal, Putin used the vaccine as a trial on his daughter and created self-confidence in his country,' Raut said. 'Russia gave the first lesson of being aatmanirbhar to the world. We are just preaching about being aatmanirbhar,' Raut said.

Russia has shown that it is aatmanirbhar (self-reliant) by producing the first coronavirus vaccine, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said on Sunday. In India, there is only talk of being self-reliant, Raut said in his weekly column Rokhtokh in the Sena mouthpiece Saamana. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced his country has developed the first vaccine against COVID-19, adding one of his daughters has already been vaccinated.

There is a lot of skepticism about Russia's vaccine among international experts, who say it has not gone through the rigorous process of human trials. The World Health Organisation has said the Russian vaccine is not among the nine it considers in advanced stages of testing.

It is encouraging countries to join the COVAX facility designed to guarantee rapid, fair and equitable access to vaccines worldwide.

'When there was a global movement to prove the Russian vaccine illegal, Putin used the vaccine as a trial on his daughter and created self-confidence in his country,' Raut said. 'Russia gave the first lesson of being aatmanirbhar to the world. We are just preaching about being aatmanirbhar,' Raut said.