BackOdisha sets June 2022 deadline to begin Covaxin production at Andharua
Reviewing the progress made so far, chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra has directed to expedite the construction of the anchor vaccine production unit and laying off other critical infrastructure
PremiumWith construction work beginning, the Odisha government has set the target of June 2022 to commence production of Covaxin at the Andharua manufacturing plant.
According to a release by the state government, the plant will manufacture 10 types of advanced vaccines, including that for coronavirus and malaria.
It has been set up through Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL), said the government, adding that construction of the plant has been possible because of IDCO's "smooth land allotment process" and "ease of doing business reforms".
The required statutory clearances and permissions have been granted for setting up the unit.
Reviewing the progress made so far, chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra has directed to expedite the construction of the anchor vaccine production unit and laying off other critical infrastructure.
Mahapatra also directed the department to set up a professional directorate of biotechnology for having a focused and fastened approach towards incubation and setting up new industries in the sector.
"The government has made provisions for extending different incentives to biotech incubation and startups. These come in the form of land allotment, exemption of stamp duty, land conversion, training subsidy, capital investment subsidy, interest subsidy," said secretary of science and technology Mishra.
Under Odisha Biotechnology Policy of 2018. The extension of subsidies needs to be managed professionally for optimizing the outcomes.
It was decided that from the viewpoints of the 'ease of doing business' the institutional mechanism of IPICOL and the industries department would be authorised to monitor the implementation of these subsidies till the operationalisation of a dedicated professional directorate of Biotechnology,the government said.
Around ₹15 crore was allocated under the 'Fund of Funds' of the MS and ME department for providing equity support to the incubating units in the Biotechnology sector.
Chairman and managing director of IDCO Sanjay Singh appraised that IDCO has created a State of the Art O Hub incubation centre near Infocity, Bhubaneswar.
Singh also said that two floors with around 28 thousand sq ft space can be made available in this centre for incubation facilities.
It was decided to further develop the centre with modern facilities and house the incubation units of MS and ME, IT, and Biotechnology in the same building to create an advanced and mutually boosting eco-system of incubation.
Chief secretary Mahapatra directed to decide the reasonable time period of extension of benefits like subsidised accommodation and other facilities in the incubation centre for one unit.
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