Bhubaneswar: Bharat Biotech International Ltd. (BBIL) will enable to produce Covid19 vaccine Covaxin from Odisha by June, 2022.
Construction of the BBIL’s anchor vaccine unit set up through Bharat Biotech at Andhrua, in the outskirt of capital city of Bhubaneswar has commenced.
Bharat Biotech has experience of producing improved vaccines against severe rotavirus diarrhea, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, pandemic influenza and drug resistant staphylococcus aureus. Its unit at Andharua of Bhubaneswar is scheduled to produce ten types of vaccines including malaria and Covid vaccine.
The Odisha chief secretary, Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, Thursday chaired the State level Biotech Implementation Committee and reviewed the progress of the project.
The secretary science and technology Manoj Mishra appraised the meeting that with the handover of land by the IDCO, the construction work of the anchor vaccine unit has started.
Reviewing the progress made so far, chief secretary Mahapatra directed to expedite construction of the anchor vaccine production unit and laying of other critical infrastructure. Target was set to start the production of vaccine including Covaxin by June, 2022. Mahapatra also directed the department to set up a professional directorate of Bio-Technology for having a focused and fastened approach towards incubation and setting up new industries in the sector.
Secretary science and technology Mishra appraised, “Government have made provisions for extending different incentives to biotech incubation and startups in shape of the land allotment, exemption of stamp duty, land conversion, training subsidy, capital investment subsidy, interest subsidy etc. under Odisha Biotechnology Policy of 2018. The extension of subisisdies needs to be managed professionally for optimizing the outcomes.
It was decided that from the view points of the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ the institutional mechanism of IPICOL and Industries department would be authorized to monitor implementation of these subsidies till operationalization of a dedicated professional directorate of Biotechnology. Around Rs.15 cr rupees were allocated under the ‘Fund of Funds’ of MSME department for providing equity support to the incubating units in Biotechnology sector.
Chairman and managing firector IDCO Sanjay Singh appraised that IDCO has created a State of the Art O Hub incubation center near Infocity, Bhubaneswar. Singh also said that two floors with around 28 thousand sq ft space can be made available in this center for incubation facilities.
It was decided to further develop the center with modern facilities and house the incubation units of MSME, IT and Biotechnology in the same building so as to create an advanced and mutually-boosting eco-system of incubation.
Available data show that the startups in Odisha are doing well and many of them have already acquired patent of their innovations. As of now around 775 startups are operating in various incubation centers out of whom around 65 incubates have acquired patent, trade mark and copy writ etc. Around 75 startups are incubating in biotech and health sector.
Development commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena, additional chief secretary forest and environment Dr. Mona Sharma, principal secretary industry Hemant Kumar Sharma, principal secretary finance Ashok Kumar Meena, principal secretary energy Nikunjabihari Dhal, and principal secretary MSME Satyabrata Sahua participated in the discussions.
