Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Serum Institute of India Adar Poonawalla will be provided Y-category security cover by the CRPF, informed PTI, citing Union Government officials on Wednesday, 28 April.
This decision by the Union government comes after Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), Prakash Kumar Singh wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 16 April, requesting security for Poonawalla.
In his letter Singh had stated that Poonawalla has been getting threats from various groups regarding COVID-19 vaccine supplies.
Singh had written, as per PTI: "We are working shoulder-to-shoulder to fight the COVID-19 pandemic with the Government of India, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
SII is manufacturing Covishield, one of the two COVID-19 vaccines being used in India.
Meanwhile, Adar Poonawalla announced on Wednesday, 28 April, that the price of the Covishield vaccine to the states has been reduced from Rs 400 to Rs 300 per dose, effective immediately.
"As a philanthropic gesture on behalf of @SerumInstIndia, I hereby reduce the price to the states from Rs 400 to Rs 300 per dose, effective immediately. This will save thousands of crores of state funds going forward. This will enable more vaccinations and save countless lives," Poonawalla tweeted.
Last week, Pune-based SII had announced that it had fixed the price of Covishield at Rs 600 per dose for private hospitals and Rs 400 per dose for state governments, triggering anger and debate, with opposition leaders and many on social media demanding: "One vaccine one price”, as this price was way above the Rs 150 price offered to the Centre.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)