With the aim of vaccinating the entire eligible population at the earliest, domestic vaccine production is being steadily ramped up in the country with help from the Centre. A Report:
 
Haffkine Biopharma, a Maharashtra state PSU is getting ready  to produce 22.8 crore doses of Covaxin per annum under technology transfer arrangement with Bharat Biotech.  Indian Immunologicals Ltd, Hyderabad and Bharat Immunologicals & Biologicals Ltd, Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh are the other two public enterprises being supported by  the Department of Biotechnology under Atmanirbhar Bharat 3.0  Mission Covid Suraksha.
 
Dr. Sandeep Rathod, Managing Director of Haffkine BioPharma said the company proposes to produce 22.8 crore doses of Covaxin in a year. He said, For undertaking production of Covaxin, Haffkine Biopharma has been provided with 65 crore rupees grant by the Centre and 94 crore rupees from the Government of Maharashtra. Mr. Rathod said, the work is being executed on a war footing. Biotechnology Secretary Dr Renu Swarup said, Enhancing vaccine production capacity using Public sectors assets will go a long way in building production capacity of vaccines in the country to support the massive vaccination drive.
 
Haffkine BioPharmaceutical Corporation Ltd is an offshoot of the 122 year old Haffkine Institute, which is one of the oldest biomedical research institutes in the country, named after the Russian  bacteriologist Dr. Waldemar Haffkine, who invented the plague vaccine.