PAWAR: GIVE 50% VAX FROM PUNE PLANT TO MAHA

Maharashtra deputy chief minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar has demanded that the 50 per cent of Covaxin doses manufactured by Bharat Biotech at its Pune plant should be reserved for the people of his state.

“Bharat Biotech is expected to start its vaccine production at the Pune plant in the next three months. The company will have to provide 50 per cent of the produced vaccine to the central government. However, we will request Bharat Biotech to reserve the rest of the vaccine for use within Maharashtra,” Mr Pawar said in Pune.

Following the Bombay High Court ruling, the state has decided to hand over a manufacturing unit located at Manjari Khurd in Pune district to an associate of Bharat Biotech for vaccine production. The company is expected to produce Covaxin, a vaccine against Covid, at the vaccine manufacturing unit. The company was forced to move the court after the state refused to transfer the land to it on the ground that the said land was reserved as forest.

However, after the HC directions, Mr Pawar said Bharat Biotech had asked for 11.58 hectares in Pune district to set up a vaccine manufacturing plant, and that the government was actively providing assistance.