The year 2020, has been an exceptionally unusual year for India, particularly from the economic point
of view. From the extended lockdowns due to the global pandemic, the departure and disturbing plight
of the migrant laborers, the agitated protests by the healthcare workers over the non-payment of
salaries, laying off employed workers in the workplace and to the recent protests over agricultural
bills passed by the government; all these upheavals have led to a high economic distress and a spike in
the rates of unemployment within the country. I dare say that, the pandemic will be remembered more
for its financial distress, rather than the morbidity rate. COVID -19 has left over 1 lakh dead in India,
and several others with elaborate hospital bills. With the possibility of a prospective vaccine, expected
at the end of this year or the early beginning of next year, another imperative challenge that India is
yet to face is, the manufacture and supply of affordable vaccines to its 1.3 billion citizens.

To meet the global demand of urgency in the production of vaccines, countries including India must
encourage self-reliance in order to decrease the production costs. Governments must ensure proper
planning and implementation to meet the suitable needs of their citizens. With the decrease in the
surfacing of the daily cases and an increase in the recovery rate, we still have a long way to go, but we
are in the right direction of approach.